Gurugram: The Haryana government is exploring the possibility of taking over the Gurugram private metro and is mulling over running the private metro with the coordination of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). There is, however, no official confirmation on the developments.
It is important to note that IL&FS that runs the Gurugram Metro is facing financial crisis and its management has already conveyed to the government to compensate it for the losses. A crucial meeting on the matter is expected to be held on October 4. A series of meetings will be held subsequently in Gurugram and Chandigarh.
The Gurugram Metro project, with two subsidiaries operating Gurugram Rapid Metro and Gurugram Rapid Metro South, provides interchange with the Delhi Metro's Yellow Line at the Sikandarpur station. It has a total length of 11.6 km with 11 stations en route. It connects commercial areas of Gurugram and acts as a feeder link to the Delhi Metro.
Initially, the DLF-IL&FS consortium ran the Rapid Metro Rail Gurugram Limited (RMGL). Sources say that ever since the DLF withdrew its stakes from the project and the ITNL's parent company — Infrastructure Leasing and Financial Services (IL&FS) — ran into financial trouble, the ITNL has been finding it hard to run the Gurugram Metro.
Higher costs for travelling, less focus on last mile connectivity and lesser frequency of the movement of trains are resulting in many residents still relying on other modes of transportation.
According to reports, over 50,000 commuters use the services of the private metro daily. This, however, is not enough for the metro to recover its costs. The management of the private metro has also been at odds with the public agencies over the display of advertisements.