The Haryana government has approved the tender for the second phase of the Old Gurugram Metro, clearing the way for a 15.3-kilometre corridor from Sector 9 to DLF Cyber City on the Delhi-Jaipur Highway. The project is estimated to cost Rs 1,662 crore and is expected to move to the tender-release stage next week.
The tender will be issued by Gurugram Metro Rail Limited (GMRL), according to a report by Live Hindustan – NCR. The second phase will include 14 stations covering residential neighbourhoods, the Gurugram railway station, employment hubs and key connections towards the Delhi-Jaipur Highway.
The planned stations are at Sector 7, Sector 4, Sector 5, the railway station, Ashok Vihar, Sector 3, Bajghera Road, Palam Vihar Extension, Palam Vihar, Sector 23A, Sector 22, Sector 21, Udyog Vihar Phase 1 and DLF Cyber City.
A double-decker metro structure is planned on sections between Sector 5 and Sheetla Mata Road, Bajghera Road and Sushil Aima Marg towards Old Delhi Road. A flyover will be constructed below the metro alignment in these sections, allowing the transport infrastructure to combine elevated rail and road movement within the same corridor.
The second phase forms part of the larger Old Gurugram Metro project, which is planned to cover 30.5 kilometres and include 28 stations. The first phase is designed to connect Millennium City Centre with Sector 9 through stations including Sector 45, Unitech Cyber Park, Sector 37 and Sector 101.
However, construction of the first phase has progressed slowly. GMRL awarded the work to Dallip Buildcon Limited and Ranjit Buildcon Limited in August last year. The companies were given two years to construct the 15.221-kilometre first-phase corridor, but more than a year later, only 14% to 15% of the work has reportedly been completed. Construction of the station buildings has not yet begun, according to the report.
The metro expansion is intended to improve access between Delhi and Gurugram and reduce the need for short road transfers to employment districts. At present, commuters travelling to the special economic zones, Unitech Cyber Park and Udyog Vihar often get down at Millennium City Centre and continue by auto-rickshaw or e-rickshaw. The planned network is expected to provide interchange-based access closer to these destinations once the corridors are built.
The announcement also comes as road infrastructure around Gurugram is being expanded. The National Highways Authority of India has proposed a 16-lane toll plaza near Janaula village on the Gurugram-Pataudi-Rewari Highway. The village is around 19 kilometres from the Dwarka Expressway. Based on an NHAI survey, the toll plaza could generate estimated annual revenue of Rs 57 crore.
NHAI project director Yogesh Tilak said the 46-kilometre Gurugram highway is in its final construction stage and is expected to open to traffic within two to three months. The next immediate milestone for the metro project is the release of the second-phase tender by GMRL.
