Local Transportation

A single planning, co-ordination, management and monitoring entity called the Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) has been envisaged to implement the system. The UMTA will be in charge of:

• A common fare collection system
  
• A common passenger information system
  
• Multi-modal integration at level of infrastructure, fares, operations and information,
  
• A common control centre for automated and computerised management of new auto-rickshaws and taxis

• Adoption of a standard design for arterial, collector and local roads
  
• A uniform signage system
  
• Establishing freight terminals outside the city to prevent trucks from entering the city
  
• Making proof of owning dedicated parking space mandatory for registration of any vehicle in Delhi and NCR
  
• Providing for a Regional Rapid Transit System through a joint venture between the Centre and states, called the NCR Transport Corporation
  
• Phasing out old and outdated yellow-and-black taxis, modernising auto-rickshaws, and synergising their operations using GPS

Google Transit, launched by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and Google India on March 4, can help tourists and travellers figure out sta- tions en route their destination, the exact fare, the time taken and more.

With Google mapping the city's lifeline, Delhi joins metrop- olises such as New York, London, Paris, Zurich and San Francisco among more than 150 cities worldwide.

Close to one million people use the Delhi Metro every day.Metro trains make 1500 trips across 85 stations spread over the National Capital Region.

Source: Hindustan Times By Aasheesh Sharma Delhi Metro Online, Like New York Subway, Delhi Metro Routes Now On Google Map

A spokesman of Haryana Town and Country Planning Department said today that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRCL) has already been requested to prepare the detailed project report for which terms of reference were being finalised.

He said Haryana government has also taken up the issue of metro extension from Badarpur to Faridabad and from Mundka to Bahadurgarh.

He said the issue of additional road links between Delhi and towns of National Capital Region for connectivity have also been taken up and negotiated with the government of National Capital Territory of Delhi.

The Delhi government has agreed to provide two additional links to Gurgaon and efforts are being made for two more links for Gurgaon and one for Rajiv Gandhi Education City in Sonipat.

With the other access to Delhi from Faridabad areas, Mathura Road, already choked due to construction of a Metro line and flyover and generally given a wide berth there were massive daylong jams on all the roads. Several office-goers were forced to head back home.

Worse, this is going to be the situation for the next 10 days. ``The Surajkund Road, from Mehrauli-Badarpur Road upto Surajkund (5km), will remain closed from 7am to 6 pm till February 28 in view of security arrangements for the shooting championship. Since security is our paramount concern, commuters are going to face some inconvenience as traffic volumes are very high,'' said Satyendra Garg, Joint Commissioner of Police (traffic). This has left people wondering what's in store during the Commonwealth Games.

When residents of Charmwood Village, Eros Garden, Dayal Bagh and even from other Faridabad sectors went out in the morning, they were diverted to Prahladpur Road. The result was a gridlock with commuters taking three to four hours just to get to MB Road.

Several people returned home. ``I left for work at 8.30 but got caught in one of the worst jams I've ever seen,'' said Nanda Paithankar, a resident of Charmwood Village, who works for WHO. ``I decided to head back home. It took over two hours just to go around the boundary wall and enter the colony from the next gate.''

Source: Times Of India By Megha Suri SinghHyper security: Faridabad areas cut off from Delhi

These links will provide fast and reliable connectivity to those districts in UP, Haryana and Rajasthan that have been identified as the major contributors to Delhi's increasing migrant population. A recent study by NCR Planning Board (NCRPB) shows Bulandshahr, Alwar, Meerut, Ghaziabad, Sonipat, Gurgaon, Faridabad and Rohtak as some of the key districts from where the capital gets maximum number of migrants.

The NCRPB has proposed to take up Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut, Delhi-Gurgaon-Rewari-Alwar and Delhi-Sonipat-Panipat as the priority corridors.

``The proposals have been approved by all the stakeholders of NCR Delhi and three adjoining states. These will be put before the Central Cabinet for speedy implementation,'' said a senior official of urban development ministry.

Sources said though a majority of the dedicated RRTS corridors will come up along the existing railway network across NCR, their alignment could be shifted in some cases so that these become more accessible to commuters.

The present rail network is already overburdened and there is hardly any scope for augmentation of the suburban rail services on the existing tracks. Hence the proposal to have dedicated tracks for RRTS.

Source: Times Of India by Dipak Kumar Dash Fast trains to city's suburbs

In a few months from now, IGI will be connected by Metro rail till Connaught Place. In the project the private Metro network of DLF will also be connected with main metro rail network. Haryana Chief Minister BS Hooda in his visit to the city on Monday said that the project to connect Gurgaon with the airport is in progress.

"There are proposal of connecting other parts of the Gurgaon with Indira Gandhi International Airport through Metro," said Hooda. The project is apparently at very nascent stage and will get momentum after Commonwealth Games. According to the sources the officials in Gurgaon have suggested three alternatives to the DMRC for the metro network in the millennium city.

Firstly, the extension of present metro line from Sultanpur to Hooda City centre which is scheduled to be operational February end, up to IGI Airport. Secondly, connecting the private metro network of DLF to the Airport and thirdly constructing an entirely new Metro line to connect the airport from Gurgaon and linking all the metro lines with one another.

Source: The Pioneer Metro Corridor To Link IGI, Gurgaon

Union Minister of Urban Development S. Jaipal Reddy on Friday announced that his ministry would soon consider issuing a formal sanction for the project.

The minister was in Gurgaon to inaugurate the trial run of Metro's Gurgaon line with five metro stations.

The Metro line between Qutub Minar and Gurgaon will be commercially launched in the first week of May.

On extending the Metro line further into Haryana, Reddy said, "Delhi is getting congested. The national capital and its neighbouring cities would form one of the biggest urban agglomerations in the world 10 years from now."

"We want Delhi to be decongested and the neighbouring cities would have to share the burden."

Source: Hindustan Times By Sanjeev K Ahuja Metro Entering Gurgaon, Hope For Faridabad, Manesar

EXPANSION WITHIN GURGAON

 Though only 15 buses have arrived at the Haryana Roadways bus depot in Ballabgarh, Transport Department officials are hopeful that the next lot will arrive soon.

Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda inaugurated the service. Said Haryana Roadways General Manager Pardeep Kumar, "We have finalised the bus routes and fares. Boards with the names of bus stands are being fixed across the region," he said.

ROUTE OF VOLVO BUSES

• Ballabgarh to Badarpur border via Mathura Road

• Ballabgarh to ISBT, Delhi via Mathura Road

• Ballabgarh to ISBT, Delhi via Bypass Road

• Ballabgarh to Gurgaon via New Town railway station

• NIT to IFFCO Chowk, Gurgaon

• Sector 12 to Gurgaon via Bata Chowk, NH-5 NIT to Gurgaon via NH-5 and Sainik Colony

• Ballabgarh to Badarpur via Sectors 3, 7, 16, 17, 18

The Railway Ministry has begun talks with the Indian Space Research Organisation and project costs are being worked out, sources in the ministry said.

Sam Pitroda, who heads the five-member ministerial committee on information and communications technologies, has readied a draft project proposal.This has been forwarded to the Railway Board for its approval, the sources said.

The Indian Railways has a 30,000-km communication network of optical fibre cables."The network alone cannot take care of future bandwidth needs.

Instead of hiring transponders, it is best to have a dedicated satellite," a member of the Pitroda committee told HT.

A satellite will also enable WiFi connectivity at stations, on-board access to television channels, and extend the reservation system to remote areas.
"Technology applications can improve freight and traffic management systems in a revolutionary manner and add to value added services leading to generation of employment," sources said.

Source: Hindustan Times By Srinand Jha Rlys plan to have their own satellite, More entertainment on board, at stations

Under the planned bus service, 150 buses will operate from Faridabad. Out of these, 45 will be air-conditioned buses. It has been proposed that gradually the buses will go up to Palwal, Gurgaon, ISBTs, railways stations and Central Secretariat in Delhi.

Officials said the routes were finalized after incorporating inputs from residents and municipal corporation besides the transport department. Different RWAs proposed the city bus services planned to terminate at Central Secretariat should be extended to the New Delhi railway station. They also suggested the extension of this service from the Ashram Chowk in Delhi to Nizamuddin railway station.

With the introduction of bus service, government hopes to phase out auto-rickshaws that for now form backbone of public transport in Faridabad.

In fact, the response to the Metro service was so overwhelming that even the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation ( DMRC), which has been operating the intra- city train service with the fastest growing user base for more than eight years now, grossly underestimated the requirement.

Within months, this new rail link from Dwarka in west Delhi to Anand Vihar in the east and Noida has become a traveller's nightmare.

Passengers complain it's a push and shove journey all the way, right from the time one forces his or her way inside the train. During peak hours in the morning and evening, people pack the bogies like sardines in a can.

Once inside, passengers are huddled so closely that clearing an inch for others to disembark at stations is a struggle, let alone finding a seat.

Shilpi Kulsheshtra, a second- year Delhi University student who takes the Metro from the Botanical Garden station ( third of the 42 stations on the Noida- Dwarka rail link), doesn't remember the last time she managed a seat for herself.

Source: Mail Today By Ravi Bajpai Delhi Metro :Commuters Now Packed Like Sardines In Trains, Delhiites Just Might Go Back To DTC Buses & Bluelines

The Delhi Metro's trial run on the tracks in Gurgaon will take place on January 29.

The stretch is part of the metro's 14-km-long Qutub Minar-Gurgaon line.

Union Minister of Urban Development S. Jaipal Reddy and Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda will formally flag off trial in the presence of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) and Haryana government officials.

The DMRC officials, however, have clarified that residents of Gurgaon will be able to enjoy the Metro ride only from April. That's when the metro's commercial operation in the outsourcing hub begins.

DMRC chief E. Sreedharan said the last stretch of Line 2 (Qutub Minar-Gurgaon) is almost ready and the trial run on the Gurgaon stretch (7.40 km) between HUDA City Center and Mehrauli border will be flagged off on January 29.

"Two train sets for Line No.
2 have already arrived and 12 more will reach in March. This line too will have a dedicated signaling system and will not be crowded at all," Sreedharan said.

"The commercial operation on the Mehrauli-Gurgaon line will start only from April as there is no point shuttling a train on the Gurgaon stretch between Sushant Lok and further till Sultanpuri with just seven stations on it," said Daljit Singh, the chief project officer, DMRC (Gurgaon Line).

"The work on Chhatarpur station is still underway as it had got delayed because of land acquisition issue that has finally been resolved," Singh said.

The stretch beyond Sultanpuri would be completed by April only.

Singh said the civil work on Gurgaon-Sultanpuri stretch had been completed. "The work of electrification is in the final stage," he said.

As the Metro enters its laststage preparations to enter Gurgaon, overjoyed residents have already started the countdown. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced the start of trial runs on a portion of the Central Secretariat to Gurgaon line within a month. While residents will get a viable public transport system, the depressed realty sector has also got a shot in the arm.

`` If you don't own a car here, you are stranded. Even to go grocery shopping or to the malls, I have to rely on my husband or daughter. Once the Metro starts, I will take off on my own,'' said Prarthana Gulati, a resident of Garden Estate. Even those commuting to Delhi are waiting to take the Metro across the border and rely on Delhi's public transport to take them further. `` I have to wait at IFFCO Chowk everyday for cab till Mahipalpur. I see the Metro line everyday and am going to take it till Aya Nagar and catch a DTC bus. It's very tough to get out of Gurgaon now as we are at the mercy of unreliable buses and call centre cabs,'' said Rajesh Kumar, who works with an MNC.

Their wishes may soon come true. `` The civil construction is complete, tracks have been laid, and signalling and overhead electrification work are in last stages. We have also started putting up signages at stations. We plan to start trial runs on the Gurgaon stretch these may start from Sultanpur depot as the trains will be taken from there,'' said a DMRC spokesperson. Haryana government had requested DMRC to open the 7.3km-long Gurgaon stretch before the rest of the line.

The news of the Metro opening has already sent property rates soaring , and apartments located within walking distance of the Metro are prime now. `` Rates of residential properties , rentals and otherwise, for buildings located near the Metro line have increased by about 15% in the last 2-3 months. Once the line starts, we are expecting a further appreciation of about 10-15 %. But rates of commercial properties are constant,'' said Anil Makhija of Surendra Properties.

Source: The Economics Times Gurgaon feels the change as Metro inches closer

To ease traffic, the Municipal Corporation of Gurgaon (MCG) will, for the first time, work on three major roundabouts in the Old City at Agrasen Chowk (near the bus stop), Fountain Chowk and Rajiv Chowk (near the Mini Secretariat).

The civic body had roped in a Delhi-based NGO, Indian Road Safety Institute (IRSI), as its private consultant for the project. The IRSI carried out a month-long survey of the roundabouts and submitted its report last week.

The problem, at Agrasen Chowk and Fountain Chowk, according to Amandeep Singh Bedi of IRSI, is not only the high volume of traffic but also encroachment by hawkers and auto-rickshaws. "If the width of the road is 15 metres, encroachment by shopkeepers and illegal parking eat up more than two-third of the road space leaving barely 3.5 to 4 m of space for traffic movement. The situation is worse during peak hours, leading to traffic pile-ups at these junctions," Bedi said.

Roundabouts: problems galore

• Encroachment by hawkers, shopkeepers, auto-rickshaws

• Illegal parking

• Unmanned signals

• Wrong traffic movement

• Removing encroachment

• Pedestrian overbridge

• Traffic lights at busy junctions

• Putting up signages, reflectors

Source: The Indian Express Gurgaon civic body zooms in on roundabouts to handle traffic mess

With the opening of the new stretch, the existing line 3 (Dwarka sector 9 to Noida city centre) will fork after the Yamuna Bank station, with one going to Noida and the other to Anand Vihar.

The Metro station at Yamuna Bank will become an important interchange for the two lines and two more platforms are being added to accommodate one more line. To reduce crowding on trains, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is adding four more trains to line 3 and the peak hour frequency will be reduced to 3 mins 45 seconds. The 6.25-km-long line will run fully elevated along the busy Vikas Marg with six stops on the way. By 2012, over one lakh commuters are expected to use the Metro line, which is almost double the projections made for the Noida stretch.

``The DMRC received on Tuesday the formal clearance from the CMRS for introduction of commercial services between Yamuna Bank and Anand Vihar Metro stations. Commercial Services will begin on this line from 6 am on January 7 with alternate trains from Dwarka going towards Noida and Anand Vihar,'' a DMRC spokesperson said.

Those wishing to change from one line to another can do so at the Yamuna Bank. The station will have two island platforms which have tracks on both sides of the platform on the same level (see graphic). The platform in the centre will cater to trains headed out of the city, to Noida City Centre and Anand Vihar (platform 1 and 3).

So those wishing to change lines will just need to step out from the train and walk over to the other side of the platform to board another train. Every alternate train from Dwarka will run to Noida and Anand Vihar. While platforms 2 and 4 will have trains running towards Dwarka from Noida and Anand Vihar respectively, commuters wanting to go towards Dwarka can catch a train from either side of the island platform. With four more trains being added to the line, DMRC is planning to achieve a frequency of 3 minutes 45 seconds from 8 am to 12.30 pm and then 4.30 pm to 8.30 pm between Dwarka and Yamuna Bank.

This was stated by the Gurgaon deputy commissioner, Rajender Kataria, pointing out that the inter-city bus service would connect Gurgaon with New Delhi and Faridabad. The buses as well as the bus-stands for the city bus service would be fitted with GPS system.

Interacting with newsmen, here, today, Kataria said a consultant had been appointed to finalise the routes of the bus service, adding that efforts would be made to link the workplaces and Metro stations with residential areas.

The DC and his wife Kalpana Kataria, an IRS officer, also planted saplings on the premises of the office of SDM (South Gurgaon).

Kataria, who has been appointed the nodal officer for tourism-related activities in the NCR belt of Haryana in view of the Commonwealth Games, said emphasis would be laid on beautification of Gurgaon before the Games.

Source: The Tribune Commonwealth Games --Coming: Gurgaon-Delhi, Faridabad Bus Service

Public transport within the city seems to be nonexistent.

After all, when was the last time you heard of an Indian millionaire taking a bus to office? But it seems the Haryana transport department has at last smiled on the common people in Gurgaon.

The department has come up with a detailed survey on the scope of public transport in the cyber city.

The survey, which was conducted by Ernst and Young, covered all residential areas, Gurgaon Expressway and the proposed Metro. The company has proposed 21 new inter- city routes for buses. These routes would cover all industrial belts and residential areas.

Predictably, the survey revealed that 90 per cent of the total traffic consisted of private vehicles ( two- wheelers and cars).

At the Delhi border toll plaza, two- wheelers constituted 26.1 per cent, while cars made up 71.3 per cent of the traffic. Mini buses, government buses and private buses made up only 1.7 per cent of the traffic, the report said.

" Similarly, at the Gurgaon- Faridabad Road, two- wheelers and cars made up 39.9 per cent and 57.5 per cent of the traffic respectively, while mini buses, government buses and private buses made up 0.7 per cent," the report said.

The story was the same at the Gurgaon- Sohna Road, MG Road, Kapashera border, and Gurgaon- Pataudi road.

Source: Mail Today Public transport pants as Gurgaon roads choke

In an interview to an agency, she said, ``Yes, we are toying with the idea. We are examining whether we can have a kind of a toll tax for the vehicles coming into the city like other satellite towns, including Gurgaon and Noida.''

The CM said she has already directed officials to study the ``gains and losses'' from the proposals implemented in these cities. ``For instance, Gurgaon has a toll tax for going into Gurgaon. Noida also has it....I have asked the officials to study, see the impact. What will be the losses, what will be the gains and what will be the impact on the people,'' she was quoted as having said.

Though the CM claims this has been the practice in Delhi's satellite towns, no private vehicles are made to pay any cess for entering these cities or for that matter any part of the country. Only commercial vehicles pay the toll tax.

`Toll tax goes against idea of an NCR'

CM said that all Gurgaon vehicles have to pay toll tax for using the Delhi-Gurgaon expressway since it's a build, operate and transfer toll road developed and maintained by a private developer. Those using the Mehrauli-Gurgaon Road don't pay any such tax.

Source: Times Of India Driving into Delhi? CM wants you to pay toll

As per the agreement between Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan that was signed on October 14, 2008, there was to be unrestricted movement of inter-State traffic of vehicles registered in the National Capital Region and they were not to be stopped at the barriers or borders.

"But the reality is that while auto-rickshaws from Delhi and Haryana do not enter into each other's territory, in case of Delhi and Uttar Pradesh, while there is no difficulty in their travelling to Noida, when it comes to Ghaziabad the drivers, many of who stay across the border, have to pay their way through the borders," said Rakesh Agarwal, secretary of Nyaya Bhoomi, an organisation working for the welfare of the auto-rickshaw operators and drivers.

At times commuters coming to Delhi from Ghaziabad complaint that they have to pay nearly Rs.150 for a mere 5 km travel. Mr Agarwal said payments made for entry to the authorities result in increase in the fare. "The people are also compelled to shell out more," he said, adding that "implementation of the pact has only got stalled due to lack of political will and the arrogance and ego of the bureaucracy which is not bothered about the welfare of either the commuters or the transport operators".

As per the agreement, the contract carriage permits for motor cabs and taxis using clean fuel or compressed natural gas and conforming to the Euro norms applicable in the NCR would be able to move without restriction and would be exempted from paying passenger tax and road tax. As per the conditions, "no additional permit charges would be required to be paid in addition to permit charges paid in the State where the vehicle is registered".

Source: The Hindu Seamless travel in NCR still a distant dream

``It has been agreed by the Delhi police that the Claims Tribunal Agreed Procedure will be implemented from January 15, 2010, and will tentatively remain in force till July 14, 2010,'' justice JR Midha observed while hearing a suo moto case on delays in compensating victims. The court was hearing an accident claim case in which the victim's family had been struggling to get compensation for several years.

The HC then laid out the timeframe, saying within 48 hours of an accident it will be the duty of the local police to inform the MACT court about it. Similarly, insurance companies will also get 30 days time to decide on the amount to be awarded to victims or to contest the claims, with the MACT courts now expected to wrap up a claims case within 120 days.

Expressing concern over the struggle of accident victims for compensation, the court approved the committee's suggestion that the Delhi police will provide the accident information report within 30 days to the insurance company. The court also approved the suggestion that the city police will produce the victim or his family members, the driver and the owner of the vehicle involved in the accident, besides the information report before the tribunal within a month.

Source: Times Of India HC: Accident victims to get claims in 4 months