After the heartening response to its recently opened line to Noida, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is hopeful of commissioning the new Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar corridor in about a month from now. The 6.17-km corridor will cater to passengers from residential as well as institutional areas of East Delhi. According to DMRC officials, the elevated corridor will have five stations -- Laxmi Nagar, Nirman Vihar, Preet Vihar, Karkardooma and Anand Vihar. “About 3.7 km of the alignment is along Vikas Marg and the rest is aligned off road. The exact date of opening of the corridor depends on the progress of work and availability of trains,” said a DMRC official on Tuesday. The daily projected traffic on this section is 103,450 people by 2011 and to raise money for loan repayment DMRC will undertake property development at Karkardooma and Anand Vihar metro stations.
The DMRC official said that at the five-storey Karkardooma station property development would be undertaken on the ground floor. “Adequate parking facilities have been provided at most stations. The Anand Vihar metro station will be unique as three transport systems -- the metro rail, Indian Railways and the bus terminus -- will integrate there,” said the official.
Meanwhile, residents of several areas along the stretch are eagerly awaiting the metro. “The opening of this section will prove beneficial for residents of areas like Shakarpur, Laxmi Nagar, Swasthya Vihar, Nirman Vihar, Rajdhani Enclave and Preet Vihar. Commuting to these areas will become easier once the metro starts its operations on this section,” said the official.
The DMRC is also constructing two of the longest spans of Phase II constructions above the Karkardooma flyover on the busy Vikas Marg. “This will also become the highest point in the metro system with the height of the platform being 19 metres above the ground making it the highest platform on the entire Delhi Metro rail network once it becomes operational,” said the official.
The Anand Vihar ISBT has been functional for a few years now and the Railways are also coming up with a terminal for all east-bound trains. With work on the Anand Vihar metro station nearing completion, commuters will be able to access all the transport systems here because of their interconnection with one another, the official explained.
The line is being further extended into Ghaziabad up to Kaushambi and Vaishali.
