Airport Metro line likely to be a part of Delhi-Alwar RRTS route

The urban development minister has directed the consultants preparing a detailed project report (DPR) for the Delhi Airport Metro Express line to convert it as a part of the regional rail transit system (RRTS) corridor from Delhi to Alwar.

This move is proposed after considering various reasons such as speedy completion of the much-awaited RRTS project, etc., revealed sources close to the authorities. The project was earlier handed over to a private developer but was then taken over by the Delhi Metro rail Corporation (DMRC), which is presently witnessing huge operational losses. The sources said that the DMRC is spending around Rs 7 crore every month while it is earning only Rs 3 lakh.

As per the proposed RRTS route to Alwar, the metro has to pass through Gurgaon and Rewari to reach Alwar. And since the Indira Gandhi International Airport is close to Rewari, the airport line can be extended as an option. The extension of the route would even draw more passengers that can boost the viability of the line. Moreover, this would also bring in more revenue to the authority.

The urban development ministry is presently considering the model of real estate exploitation in order to make the RRTS project financially viable over the three priority RRTS lines.

It has been proposed that the RRTS will include high-speed air-conditioned trains running on the lines of Delhi Metro. The Airport Metro line will be 27.7 km long and will have only six stations. Since the route is long, the distance between stations has also been set to be at longer gaps.

Another reason for the ministry to consider this move is that the express line in the proposed 180-km Delhi-Rewari line is to neutralize the Delhi government’s decision. The UD ministry wanted to bring all the first three priority RRTS corridors to the heart of the capital but the Delhi government has been opposing the ministry’s proposal. The government is of the view that the trains should terminate at outskirts so it had opposed the termination of the RRTS corridor at the centre of the city while the Airport express line starts from the New Delhi railway station. So with the merge of these two lines, the RRTS trains will be free from the government’s objection.

The Delhi Airport Metro Express (DAME), also known as Orange Line, is a Delhi Metro line moving between New Delhi Metro Station and Dwarka Sector 21, linking the Indira Gandhi international airport. The Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt. Limited (DAMEL) is operating this line. Reliance Infrastructure Ltd, which was its former concessionaire, had started operating the Airport metro Express from 23 February 2011. But for some technical reasons, the service was suspended from 7 July 2012 to 22 January 2013 and was resumed later. Reliance Infrastructure Ltd informed the DMRC that it couldn’t operate the line after 30 June 2012, following which the DMRC took over the Airport Express line from 1 July 2013.