Trial runs have begun on the Dwarka Sector 21-IICC metro section on the Airport Express Line, officials here said on Sunday. The segment between Dwarka Sector 21 and the upcoming India International Convention Centre (IICC) is expected to be commissioned by July, DMRC chief Vikas Kumar had said on May 3. Dwarka Sector 25 (IICC) is an underground station and an extension of the presently operational Airport Express Line connecting the New Delhi Railway station with Dwarka Sector 21 via terminal 3 of the Indira Gandhi International Airport.
With the completion of this section, the New Delhi to Dwarka Sector-25 (IICC) Airport Express Line corridor will become 24.70 km long, the DMRC said. "Trial runs have been started on the two-kilometre long Dwarka Sector-21 to Dwarka Sector-25 (IICC) Metro section on the Airport Express Line," it said. During the trial runs, the signalling systems are tested.The completion of the trial runs will be followed by the mandatory inspections by various approving authorities including the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS).
The section will be opened for passenger traffic after these mandatory approvals. The IICC is being developed as India's largest exhibition and convention centre. This facility, currently under construction, will be equipped with state-of-the-art facilities such as convention centres, auditoriums, hotels, office spaces, and other retail space. The Sector 25 metro station will have gates opening inside and outside the IICC.
"The station is coming up at a depth of about 17 metre from the surface. The station will have five entry/exit points which will be facilitated by 14 escalators, five lifts along with staircases for smooth passenger movement. Like the other stations of the Airport Express Line, the new station will also have full-height platform screen doors," a senior official said. Apart from catering to the upcoming convention centre in the vicinity, this new station will also provide metro connectivity to the residents of sectors 25 and 26 of Dwarka, along with the new sectors along the Dwarka Expressway in neighbouring Gurugram.
With the opening of the segment, residents of these areas will be able to reach central Delhi in about half an hour, officials said.
(With PTI Inputs)
