New Delhi, Jun 28: Sportslovers will not have to
struggle hard to reach venues of the Commonwealth Games as all
of them barring one will be connected to the Delhi Metro
routes.
The Phase-II of the Delhi Metro will provide easy Metro
connectivity to 10 of the 11 venues of the 2010 Commonwealth
Games.
With its current operational network of 74.56 kms, the
Metro lines passing near by the Games venues to be opened by
September next year, will increase its network to 190 kms.
"The DMRC will ensure that nine out of the 10 venues
where the Games are to be held, besides the Games Village
itself, are within two kms from a Metro station," Delhi Metro
spokesperson Anuj Dayal said.
Of the 11 venues, three of them -- the Games Village,
Jawaharlal Nehru (JLN) Stadium and Delhi University -- will
have direct access to Metro stations.
Giving a fillip to its preparations, the Metro will also
increase the number of its feeder buses operating in parts of
the city for easy connectivity to the Games venues.
The Games Village, where the athletes will reside, is
adjacent to the Akshardham Metro station on Indraprastha–New
Ashok Nagar line which is scheduled to be opened by August.
"DMRC is working overtime to ensure that means of travel
to different venues of the Commonwealth Games will be in place
well in time," Dayal said.
The JLN Stadium, where the opening and closing
ceremonies are to be held, can be accessed directly from a
Metro station or the nearby Jangpura station.
The two stations are part of the Central
Secretariat–Badarpur corridor and is scheduled to open in
September 2010.
The Delhi University, which will host the rugby
events, already has its own Metro station at Vishwavidyalaya.
Three venues, Talkatora Indoor Stadium, Yamuna Sports
Complex and RK Tennis Complex, will be just 2 kms from Metro
stations.
The aquatics venue Talkotora Indoor Stadium can be
accessed from the operational Jhandewalan station. The Yamuna
Sports Complex, a multi-game venue, will also be 2 km from the
Anand Vihar Metro station, a part of the Yamuna Bank–Anand
Vihar ISBT line which will be inaugurated by December this
year.
However, the Karni Singh Shooting Range venue is the
exception as it will be 7 km from Tughlaqabad Metro station on
the under-construction Central Secretariat–Badarpur line.
Just one km from Metro stations will be Thyagaraj
Complex, the football stadium and Siri Fort Sports Complex.
Dayal said the number of people using the Metro
service on a daily basis is expected to go up to 20 lakh
during the Games, scheduled to be held in October next year.
Bureau Report
First Published: Sunday, June 28, 2009, 12:48