Rapid Metro formally inaugurated in Gurgaon

Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda Sunday formally inaugurated the Rapid Metro Gurgaon line, a month after the mass transit service started commercial operations.

The function was organised at the Sikanderpur Metro Station where both the Rapid Metro and Delhi Metro converge.

Hooda and some Haryana ministers boarded a Rapid Metro train after the inauguration.

The Phase-I of the Rapid Metro has been built at a cost of Rs.1,088 crore. The 5.1-km stretch has six stations - Sikanderpur, DLF Phase-2, Belvedere Towers, Cyber City, Moulsari Avenue and Cyber Green Infinity Towers.

Looking into the needs of people, the Rapid Metro began commercial operations Nov 14. It is open to commuters from 6 a.m. till shortly after midnight.

The Rapid Metro, an intra-city service in Gurgaon, is the first project on a public-private-partnership (PPP) model in the country.

Five fully-automated trains with a frequency of four minutes run between five stations. Each train carries over 800 passengers on one trip.

Officials expect that about 30 percent of the existing road traffic in Gurgaon will move to the Rapid Metro, thereby reducing travel time and traffic congestion for commuters.