Metro to reach Ghaziabad by June

Monday, Feb 21, 2011




The Delhi Metro will finally be reaching Ghaziabad this June. With civil construction work on the 2.57km stretch from Anand Vihar ISBT to Vaishali already completed, sources in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said that track laying and other finishing work was under way. Said a DMRC spokesperson, "Currently, track laying and finishing works of the two Metro stations on the corridor - Kaushambi and Vaishali - are in progress. The line is expected to become operational from June." This stretch will be an extension of line 4 (Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar ISBT) of the Delhi Metro network.

The extension of Delhi Metro into Ghaziabad comes after the Metro was extended to Noida in 2009 and to Gurgaon last year. DMRC is anticipating the ridership of line 4 to leap by 40,000 once the extension becomes operational. At present, the Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar line ferries 90,000 commuters, making it one of the more popular lines on the network. The two Metro stations on this elevated corridor are Kaushambi and Vaishali. With the opening of this stretch, the total length of line 4 will increase to 8.74km.

Said the DMRC spokesperson, "The extension of line 4 into neighbouring Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh is expected to benefit commuters from residential areas like Kaushambi and Vaishali. The daily commuters from the main Ghaziabad city who, at present, travel to Anand Vihar ISBT to board the Metro to their workplaces will also benefit." That's not all. The Metro corridor will also cater to the Sahibabad Industrial area as well as the offices of numerous private sector majors such as Dabur, said DMRC officials. Also, shoppers visiting the nearby shopping malls in the area will also be able to use the Metro services.

Both the Vaishali and Kaushambi Metro stations will have parking facilities. While Vaishali station's parking will accommodate about 250 cars, the parking space at Kaushambi will accommodate about a hundred cars. The DMRC is also constructing foot overbridges at the Kaushambi and Vaishali Metro stations to provide connectivity with the Sahibabad Industrial Area.

The extension will add to the Dwarka sector 21-Anand Vihar ISBT corridor, which is one of the most used lines on the Delhi Metro network. The network, which currently covers over 165km, ferries over 16 lakh passengers daily through over 2,500 trips, say officials. Next in line for the Delhi Metro network is Faridabad, which is scheduled to be connected in phase III of the network.

Original news source http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/delhi/Metro-to-reach-Ghaziabad-by-June/articleshow/7535642.cms