RailEnquiry

Jaipur: If a government proposal goes through, the second phase of the Metro project linking Sitapura industrial Area to Ambabri via Walled City will run underground. Under the existing plan, the Metro is set for a run on elevated tracks on the second route except for the stretch in Walled City. The new plan also reroutes the train through Airport Terminal-2 offering direct connectivity to the Jaipur airport.The proposals were mooted in a meeting chaired by chief minister Ashok Gehlot on Friday to review the progress of works on Metro’s first phase linking Mansarovar to Chandpole.“It has been decided that the metro route for second phase should be interlinked with the airport for convenience of people. Also, we are of the view that elevated track should be constructed only from Sitapura to the airport terminal. The Metro can then go underground right till Ambabari,” Urban Development and Housing minister Shanti Dhariwal told reporters after the meeting.The government’s plan to take the metro underground seems to be born of 2013 poll concerns when the second phase is expected to roll out. By taking the Metro underground, the need for land acquisition would be drastically reduced and its impact would be minimal on residents living on the said route. The DMRC and the JMRC, corporations executing the project, have been through a tough time acquiring land for elevated ramp for Metro and construction of stations and parking lots in the first phase, now under construction. Dhariwal pushed the envelop for underground project claiming, “The cost of the project escalates by only Rs2,000 if it is the project becomes a subway,” he said.According to the existing detailed project report (DPR), the second phase is estimated to cost around Rs6000 crore for a 23 km-long stretch.It would have 16 elevated and 6 underground stations (which is subject to change if new proposals are incorporated).The work on Chandpole-Badi Chaupar Metro line would commence in July next year after the Mansarovar-Chandpole project becomes operational. The JMRC has been directed to start the tender process for the project. Around Rs1,126 crore would be required get the Metro running through subway tunnels underneath the Walled City.Sources said, the meeting discussed the delay in civil works between Sindhi Camp Railway Station on Mansarovar-Chandpole route, which is scheduled to be completed by June 2013.“The price escalation and dearth of labour are the primary reasons for the delay,” an official said, adding, “The Chief Minister has directed the DMRC to put in additional manpower and resources to meet the deadline, while assuring them that the funds will be taken care of.”Two trains will arrive for the metro project by April next year. These trains will be coloured pink. The recruitment process for around 400 metro employees will be completed by January, officials said.