New Delhi: Having
missed the CWG deadline after failing to get the mandatory safety
clearance, the Airport Express Metro Line, that promises to take
commuters from Connaught Place to the International Airport in just 18
minutes, is likely to be operational by the end of this month.
Delhi
Metro chief E Sreedharan on Sunday expressed the hope that the 22-km
high-speed corridor will get the safety certificate and will be opened
to public soon.
The Airport Express Line, which will be run by a
consortium led by Reliance Infrastructure, failed to get safety
clearance from the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) last week
due to signalling problem and non-conduct of speed trials.
This is the first time a Metro line in the country
failed to get the safety clearance on the first inspection. The Line was
scheduled to be opened to the public before the beginning of the Games.
"The
Line is complete. It has not been able to get the safety certificate.
We hope to get it very shortly," Sreedharan told reporters after the
Central Secretariat-Sarita Vihar corridor was thrown open to the public.
He
said the Delhi Metro does not have control over the Airport Line as the
entire operations will be managed by the Reliance-led consortium.
"Airport
Line, unfortunately, is not within the control of DMRC. DMRC has done
only the civil works. All the systems like tracks, electrification,
signalling, rolling stock and air conditioning are being done by
Reliance Infrastructure Limited," he said.
Asked whether the line
will be ready before the end of the Games, Sreedharan said: "I don't
think it will be ready by then. But, anyways it is not very, very
important for the Games. No one is going to take that Metro for the
Games."
"They (the consortium) are trying hard I hope by the end of this month it will be ready," he said in reply to a question.
The
Airport Line is the first Metro line in the country to be implemented
on Public Private Partnership basis with DMRC having completed the civil
work with the remaining works to be done by the concessionaire.
The
line promises to take passengers from Connaught Place to airport in
just 18 minutes with stoppages at four stations. It usually takes 45
minutes to one hour to go the airport by road.
