The Ministry of Finance has given a green signal to three corridors of Delhi Metro Phase-IV — Janakpuri West to RK Ashram, Maujpur to Mukundpur, and Aerocity to Tughlaqabad. They have a combined length of 61.66 km, out of the total 104 km of the proposed Phase-IV project of the Delhi Metro.
The three corridors, for which approval has been sought in the first phase, will cost about Rs 29,000 crore. According to the original plan, this phase would have got on track in April 2016. In the absence of nod from the Government, the date was pushed forward twice to October 2017 and then April 2018.
The Ministry of Finance has also given nod to metro projects in Indore, Bhopal, Kanpur, Agra, and Meerut. The approval would be made under the provisions of new Metro Rail Policy, which had been cleared by the Union Cabinet last year. Besides, the Finance Ministry has also approved a proposal of rapid rail project connecting Delhi to Meerut.
According to Union Housing and Urban Affairs Secretary Durga Shankar Mishra, approvals have been given in principle to these proposals. “Now, these proposals would be put up before Public Investment Board (PIB) to examine the investment plans pertaining to these projects. A note to this effect is being prepared. After approval of PIB, the proposals would be sent to Union Cabinet for approval,” said Mishra, adding that the final cost of these corridors is yet to be decided.
Sources said the Delhi Metro has proposed the three corridors on a PPP model. Under this plan, the tracks will be set up by DMRC, while the coaches will be obtained from a private player through a bidding process.
The Phase-IV of Delhi Metro, which has a total length of 104 kms and an estimated l cost of Rs 55,208 crore, was approved in principle by the Delhi Government in January 2017. Both the Delhi Government and the Centre have an equal stake in Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and follow a 50:50 equity sharing model.
The new Metro Rail Policy seeks to introduce Public-Private Partnership (PPP) component in the sector by making it mandatory for seeking central assistance. As per policy, private investment and other innovative forms of financing of metro projects has been made compulsory to meet resource demand for capital intensive high capacity metro projects. The new policy also aims at ensuring provision of last-mile connectivity and preventing escalation in cost of projects.
Sources in the Ministry said two metro corridors of 27.9 km would be laid in Bhopal. In Indore, there would be one corridor of total length of 31.5 km from Rajwada to Nainod metro corridor. Sources said European Investment Bank (EIB) has already sanctioned $ 500 million for metro projects of Madhya Pradesh Government. The total cost of Bhopal metro is expected cost Rs 7,500 crore.
After Noida and lucknow metros, Kanpur, Agra, Meerut would be other cities where metro corridor would come up. The total cost of Agra, Kanpur and Meerut cities metro is estimated at Rs 47,168 crore and it is scheduled to be completed by 2024.
The Kanpur metro will have two corridors, comprising a total length of 32.38 km and would cost over Rs 18,342 crore. It will have 31 stations.
“like in Kanpur, the Agra and Meerut projects would have two corridors each. While the total length of the Agra Metro would be 30 km, Meerut’s would be 32.95 km. The Agra project would cost Rs 12,901 crore and the Meerut project, Rs 14,890 crore,” said sources.
On the other hand, the 84 kms long RRTS project between Delhi and Meerut is scheduled to be completed by 2024. The Uttar Pradesh Government has also already approved and is awaiting the approval of the Delhi Government. It is being executed by the National Capital Region Transport Corporation (NCRTC). The service will start at Delhi’s Sarai Kale Khan and stop at Meerut’s Modipuram, going via New Ashok Nagar, Anand Vihar, Ghaziabad and Modinagar. The line will have 24 stations, three of them in Delhi. The train has a designed speed of 180 kmph, but the average speed is expected to be kept at 100 kmph.