Gurugram Metro Rail Limited (GMRL) has decided to change the alignment of the Old Gurugram metro along Old Delhi Road after the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC) shifted the Delhi–Shahjanapur–Behrore RRTS alignment to the Delhi–Jaipur highway, officials said. The revised metro route will now extend towards the Delhi border up to Dundahera before turning towards Shankar Chowk on NH-48, they added.
Officials said the change will allow the metro to cover more areas along Old Delhi Road and Udyog Vihar while providing more space for construction of tracks and stations. Earlier, the line was planned to connect Old Delhi Road to the national highway via Rao Gajraj Singh Marg, which officials said is narrower and offers less construction space.
Officials said estimates are currently being prepared for the tender documents, and the project cost is yet to be finalised. They added that the revised alignment will extend the route by about 1 km.
“The alignment has slightly changed on Old Delhi Road as it will help us reach more commuters along Old Delhi Road and in Udyog Vihar. The road from Hanuman Chowk to NH 48 is also wider and will offer more space for metro construction as compared to the earlier planned route,” said a senior GMRL official.
The shift will also enable GMRL to build the terminating station adjacent to the proposed underground RRTS station at Shankar Chowk. “The shift in alignment will also help in improved planning of stations at Shankar Chowk and better connectivity. The plan is to build a number of foot over bridges to connect our metro station with RRTS station, and the Rapid Metro station. The RRTS station will have three underpasses for commuters for entry and exit of passengers. DLF has already constructed an underpass at this location. All this infrastructure will be interesting connected and ensure seamless movement of commuters and safe travels,” the official said.
GMRL officials said the state government plans to seek World Bank funding, with the cabinet committee on economic affairs to take a final call. “It will take around one more month to finalise the tender for phase two,” the official said.
Earlier, NCRTC had planned the Namo Bharat train from Sarai Rohilla to Behror via Kapashera Border, Old Delhi Road, Atul Kataria Chowk and Maharana Pratap Chowk, but it will now run along the Delhi–Jaipur highway. In view of this, the metro will now run from Sushil Aima Marg to the Hanuman Temple in Dundahera village, then through Ram Chowk and the road dividing Udyog Vihar Phase-3 and Phase-5 to Shankar Chowk.