Wikipedia

Rapid Metro Gurgaon

Rapid Metro Gurgaon is a light metro[6][7][8] system serving the city of Gurgaon, Haryana, India.[9] Rapid Metro connects the commercial areas of Gurgaon, and acts as a feeder link to the Delhi Metro with an interchange with its Yellow Line at Sikanderpur metro station.

Rapid Metro Gurgaon
Metro in Gurgaon
Metro in Gurgaon
Overview
OwnerHaryana Mass Rapid Transport Corporation Limited[1]
LocaleGurgaon, Haryana, India
Transit typeLight rapid transit
Number of lines1
Number of stations11
Daily ridership30,000 on average; 48,000 on weekdays (2023)[2][3]
HeadquartersAmbience Corporate Towers, Ambience Island, NH 48, Gurgaon
Operation
Began operation14 November 2013; 11 years ago (2013-11-14)
Operator(s)DMRC
CharacterFully elevated and grade-separated
Number of vehicles12
Train length3 coaches
Headway4 minutes
Technical
System length12.85 km (7.98 mi)
No. of tracks2 (7.8 km [4.8 mi])
1 (3.7 km [2.3 mi])[4]
Track gauge1,435 mm (4 ft 8+1⁄2 in) (standard gauge)[4]
Electrification750 V, DC via third rail[5]
Average speed35 km/h (22 mph)
Top speed80 km/h (50 mph)

Built by Rapid Metro Gurgaon Limited (RMGL), the system was the world's first fully privately financed modern light metro system. The venture did not have any investment from the Union Government, Government of Haryana or any public sector undertaking. However, it was not the first fully privately financed rapid transit system, as the Metropolitan Railway in London was privately financed.[10] Originally planned to open in 2012, the first phase of the system opened on 14 November 2013. The second phase began commercial operation on 31 March 2017.[11] In September 2019, IL&FS announced that it did not have the resources to continue running the Rapid Metro due to financial issues with the company and was looking for another entity to fund and take over operations.[12] After a short dispute with the Haryana government and a court ruling from the Punjab and Haryana High Court, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation took over the operation of the line from IL&FS.[13]

Rapid Metro has a total length of 12.85 kilometres (7.98 mi) serving 11 stations.[14] The system is fully elevated using standard-gauge tracks. The trains are composed of three cars. The power is supplied by 750 volt direct current through third rail. Services operate daily between 06:05 and 22:00 running with a headway of four minutes. The metro system was the first in India to auction naming rights for its stations.[15]

Platform No 1, towards Sector 55-56, Phase 2 Metro Station

History

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A 3.2 km (2.0 mi) metro line between Sikanderpur and National Highway 8 was originally proposed in September 2007. The Haryana Urban Development Authority (HUDA) invited expressions of interest to construct the metro line on built-operate-transfer basis with a 99-year lease in 2008.[16] However, real estate developer DLF wanted to provide metro connectivity to its Cyber City.[17][18] A new tender was issued in July 2008,[19] with the DLF-IL&FS consortium emerging as the only bidder.[20] The project was initially conceived as a collaborative venture between Enso Group, DLF and Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services (IL&FS).[21] Rapid Metro is the first fully privately financed modern metro system in the world.[22] Rapid Metro did not even get the 20 acres of land, which it required to construct the first phase of the project, at any concessional rate from the state.[22]

The Rapid Metro project was implemented as a public-private partnership.[23] The entire cost of the project was borne by the private party.[24] The private party was also tasked with maintenance and operation of the metro at its own cost.[25] While HUDA initially objected to a private company making profit from public transport, an agreement was eventually reached for the consortium to pay HUDA ₹7.65 billion (US$91.7 million) over 35 years in "connectivity charges" as well as 5–10% of advertising and property development revenue.[4]

The contract for the ₹9 billion (US$107.8 million) project was awarded in July 2009, with completion scheduled in 30 months' time.[4] The foundation stone was laid on 11 August 2009.[26] The line was built and is operated by Rapid Metro Gurgaon Limited (RMGL). The project was estimated to cost ₹10.88 billion (US$130.4 million) as of October 2012.[27]

Originally planned to open in 2012, the first phase of the system opened on 14 November 2013.[28]

Phase II

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On 11 June 2013, IL&FS Engineering and Construction Company Limited informed the Bombay Stock Exchange that it had been awarded a contract worth ₹ 266.5 crores to construct the elevated viaducts for Phase 2 of the project. The company also stated that the project would be completed within 24 months.[29] The company was later awarded a contract worth ₹ 84.3 crore to construct all 5 elevated stations in Phase II. The project completion period was specified as 24 months.[30][31] The southward extension is 6.6 km (4.10 mi) long double track and will extend from Sikanderpur to Sector 55 and 56 in Gurgaon.[32] It is estimated to cost ₹2,423 crore (US$290 million).[33] There are six stations on the extension and it will take around 20 minutes to travel the entire route. Land for the project and right of way will be provided by HUDA.[34] Trial runs were held on the first phase of the metro, between Phase 2 and Phase 3 stations, in October 2012. On the same day, Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh laid the foundation stone for Phase 2 of the project.[citation needed]

Construction work on Phase 2 began in April 2013, and was given an initial deadline of July 2015. However, the deadline was later revised to mid-2016, September 2016 and then the last quarter of 2016.[35] By June 2016, 75% of work on the Phase 2 was complete.[36] Trial runs were conducted along the 6.3 km (3.91 mi) Phase-2 route between in December 2016.[35] Rapid Metro authorities applied for inspection of phase II by the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety in March 2017.[37] The second phase of the system was opened to the public on 31 March 2017.[38]

Route

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Rapid Metro Gurgaon transit diagram

Line 1

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Line 1 was built in two phases.[39] The first phase of the project covers a distance of 5.1 km (3.2 mi) north of Sikanderpur. The section between Sikanderpur and Phase 2 station is double-tracked, while the remaining stations are served by a single-track loop. The second phase is a 6.6 km (4.1 mi) long southward extension from Sikanderpur to Sector 55 and 56 of Gurgaon and mostly runs through the affluent Golf Course Road.[11] This section of a line opened on 31 March 2017 partially except for two stations in its route Sector 53-54 and Sector 42-43. The two remaining stations till Sector 55-56 opened on 25 April 2017.[4] Platforms are 75 m (246 ft) in length.[40][11]

Sikanderpur station offers an interchange with Delhi Metro via a 90 m × 9 m (295 ft × 30 ft) walkway.[41]

Line 1
# Station Name Phase Opening Interchange Connenction Station Layout Depot Connection Depot Layout
English Hindi
1 Sector 55–56 सैक्टर ५५-५६ 2 31 March 2017 None Elevated Rapid Metro Rail Depot Elevated
2 Sector 54 Chowk सैक्टर ५४ चौक None
3 Sector 53-54 सैक्टर ५३-५४ 25 April 2017
4 Sector 42-43 सैक्टर ४२-४३
5 Phase 1 फ़ेस १ 31 March 2017
6 Sikanderpur सिकंदरपुर 1 14 November 2013 Yellow Line
7 Phase 2 फ़ेस २ None
8 Belvedere Towers बेल्वेडियर टावर्स
9 Cyber City साइबर सिटि 7 May 2014
10 Moulsari Avenue मौलसरी एवेन्यू 14 November 2013
11 Phase 3 फ़ेस ३ Rapid Metro Rail Depot Elevated

Infrastructure

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The system is fully elevated and operated automatically.[42] Because of the features, several articles in railway magazines define the system as Light Metro.[8][7][6]

 
Gurgaon Metro track

Rolling stock

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On 21 April 2010, Siemens announced that it had been awarded a turnkey contract to build the metro line, including five three-car metro trains.[43] Siemens sub-contracted CRRC Zhuzhou Locomotive to build the 5 aluminium-bodied air-conditioned trains.[5] The first three-coach train set built in China, arrived in Gurgaon on 11 September 2012.[44] RMGL ordered an additional seven three-car metro train sets for the second phase expansion of the metro. The final 4 of these 7 rakes arrived in Gurgaon on 5 February 2016.[45]

Each train with three coaches costs ₹300 million (US$3.6 million) and is silver and blue in colour.[46] The total length of a 3 coach train is 59.94 metres (196 ft 8 in). The coaches are 2.8 metres (9 ft 2 in) wide, have roof-mounted air conditioning and have 4 doors on each side of each coach. Each train has a capacity of approximately 800 passengers.[47] The metro is designed to carry 30,000 passengers per hour.[48]

Operations

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Operator

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The line was built and is operated by Rapid Metro Gurgaon Limited (RMGL), founded as a joint venture between Enso group, real estate developer DLF and IL&FS. DLF owns many properties near the stations, while IL&FS was the majority stake holder in the JV.[17] DLF later sold its stake to IL&FS, and exited the joint venture. Following the transaction, IL&FS Transportation Networks Ltd (ITNL) held 82.8% stake in RMGL, and ITNL's subsidiary IL&FS Rail Ltd (IRL) held 17.2%. On 11 February 2016, ITNL announced that it had sold a 49% stake in RMGL for ₹509.9 crore (US$61 million) to its parent company, Infrastructure Leasing & Financial Services Ltd (IL&FS), in an effort to reduce debt.[49][50][51]

The Rapid Metro charges are flat rate ₹20 (24¢ US) only in travelling at any stations of Phase-1 line & Phase-2 line stations separately, but travelling form Phase-1 line to Phase-2 line or vice versa the charges are ₹35 (42¢ US).[52] Delhi Metro tokens and smart cards are accepted on Rapid Metro.[53] The automatic fare collection system is supplied by Thales Group.[54]

Ridership

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Ridership of the Rapid Metro has been below expectations.[55] Phase 1 was expected to bring 100,000 riders per day, but only achieved 30,000, and even after the addition of Phase 2, daily ridership in 2018 hovered around the 50,000 mark.[55] Urban Transport News has described the Rapid Metro as a "failure" due to its high cost, low ridership and poor location.[56]

Frequency

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Trains run from 06:05 to 22:00[57] Three-coach trains operate at four-minute intervals.[17] Trains have a maximum speed of 80 km/h (50 mph), and operate at an average speed of 40 km/h (25 mph).[17]

Safety

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For the passengers' safety, there are Emergency Stop Plungers at every platform, while the Blue Light Station feature enables passengers to contact the Control Room. A Press to Talk Button inside the coaches enables commuters to talk directly to the driver, in the event of any problem.[58]

Security

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Security in the Rapid Metro is being handled by a private security agency. The system has a dedicated Metro Police Station at Sikanderpur station, while a Toll Free Helpline for all passengers is operational for 24 hours. CCTV cameras are used to monitor trains and stations.[59]

Upcoming/Under construction Metro Line

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The Haryana Mass Rapid Transit Corporation (HMRTC) has plans to establish a metro network spanning 188 kilometers in Gurugram.

Gurugram Metro Rail Limited (GMRL) will be responsible for constructing, maintaining, and operating this metro line, similar to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Currently, all these lines will be developed in the first phase, with further expansion planned in the second/upcoming phase.

Gurugram Metro Network Plan
Name of Route Route Length (km) Starting Station Terminal Station Construction Start Construction End
Millennium City Center to Cyber City 28.5 Millennium City Center Cyber City December 2024 August 2027
Rezang La Chowk to Dwarka Sector 21 7 Rezang La Chowk Dwarka Sector 21 December 2024 August 2027
Faridabad to Vatika Chowk 37 Faridabad Vatika Chowk December 2024 August 2027
Vatika Chowk to Pachgaon KMP Interchange 31 Vatika Chowk Pachgaon Kmp Interchange December 2024 August 2027
Bhondsi to Daulatabad Dwarka Expressway via Gurgaon Railway Station 23 Bhondsi Daulatabad Dwaraka Expressway December 2024 August 2027
Golf Course Extension Road to Sector 5 14 Golf Course Extension Road Sector 5 December 2024 August 2027
Kherki Daula Dwarka Expressway cloverleaf to Sector 111 17 Kherki Daula Dwarka Expressway cloverleaf Sector 111 December 2024 August 2027
Manesar to Samalkha Kapasahera Road via New Colony Mor, Sadar Bazar, Old Delhi Gurgaon Road 30 Manesar Samalkha Kapasahera Road December 2024 August 2027
Total System Length 188

See also

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References

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  2. ^ Behl, Abhishek (5 December 2023). "Rapid Metro witnesses major spurt in ridership in 2023, revenue rises by 53%". Hindustan Times. Archived from the original on 6 December 2023. Retrieved 6 June 2024.
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