Metro may start Badarpur run on Nov 11

NEW DELHI: The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) inspected the extension of the Badarpur line from Sarita Vihar to Badarpur on Tuesday. Even as the inspection was completed, the safety certification has not been issued. Sources said the five-km section will open in a few days, most likely by Thursday. The opening of the section will mark the completion of the Central Secretariat to Badarpur line, which was opened for public use on October 3.
"The inspection of the section from Sarita Vihar to Badarpur has been completed but we are waiting for the mandatory clearance by CMRS.The line will be opened as soon as the clearance is received,'' said a DMRC spokesperson. The five-km stretch has three stops Mohan Estate, Tughlaqabad and Badarpur.
However, there seems to be no clarity on when the Airport Express Link will open for use. The construction of the line is still underway and DMRC and the concessionaire, Reliance Infrastructure, which is going to run the section on a Public Private Partnership (PPP) model for the next 30 years, have still not even approached CMRS for a date for the inspection. DMRC officials said they have received all the documentation about the line but are not willing to take any chances this time around. "The documents are being examined at length to ensure that there is no scope for error this time around. The line can be opened only after it has been inspected and granted the necessary clearances,'' said an official.
The section was inspected by CMRS earlier in October but rejected since passenger amenities and safety parameters were not found to be up to the mark. Several stations on the high-speed link don't have clearance from the fire department either, which is a pre-requisite for opening the section. Sources now say that it seems unlikely that the line will be opened before the end of this month.
After the line failed to meet safety standards of CMRS, DMRC slapped penalties to the tune of Rs 11.25 crore on the concessionaire, Delhi Airport Metro Express Pvt Ltd (DAMEPL), a subsidiary of Reliance Infrastructure, which had been awarded the line for the next 30 years.
Said a DAMEPL spokesperson, "All the work for CMRS clearance has been completed. We are awaiting the fire clearance which is a prerequisite for the CMRS application. This will be done in a week's time. Once all the statutory clearances are achieved, the line will be operational immediately.''