Second phase of Rapid Metro will meet Sep 2016 deadline: New CEO

GURGAON: Rajiv Banga, the new Rapid Metro CEO, said during an interaction on Friday that his department will meet the September 2016 target for completing the second phase of the service, from Sikanderpur to Sector 55-56 along Golf Course Road. “Most of the civil construction work is finished. The rakes for the second phase, being manufactured in China, are also being inspected and will be shipped on time.We’re hopeful of completing the second phase by September 2016,” he said.
Agreeing that the ridership has decreased considerably after the fare hike last year, Banga said Rapid Metro will take new initiatives in the coming days to boost ridership. “We have discussed a few ideas on how to increase ridership, which has gone done after the fare hike. We will roll out these initiatives from the next month onwards.”
While there is no provision for commuters to park their vehicles at any of the existing stations, authorities are trying to make room for parking lots in the second phase, wherever vacant land is available. They are also creating parking space at the existing Sikanderpur station.
“As an interchange station, Sikanderpur is crucial. We’re thus trying to create space for people to park their vehicles and hop into the Metro. We’re taking efforts to look for a piece of land near the station for this, which is free of litigation worries. Once we can ensure parking space, more people will be encouraged to use our network,” he said.
About extending the network to the old city, Banga said the state government is studying several alignments. Once they take a final decision, Rapid Metro can act accordingly.