Metro to reach every nook and corner of city by 2020: Sreedharan

New Delhi, May 1 (UNI) By the year 2020, the Delhi Metro will reach every nook and corner of the city with the Metro trains and their feeder services available at every 500 m of the city, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Managing Directors E Shreedharan today said.

By the year 2020, Metro or its feeder services will be available at every 500 m of the area of the city,'' he said.

While the Phase 1 of the Delhi Metro has connected areas in West, North and Old Delhi with the heart of the city, the Phase II of the network - encompassing the Badarpur-Central Secretariat, the International airport-New Delhi Railway station line and the extension of the Dwarka-Indraprastha line to East Delhi and Noida areas - will connect South and East Delhi with the network.

While the Phase I is already operational, the Phase II will be completed well before October 2010 when the Commonwealth Games are scheduled to be held in the city, Mr Shreedharan said on the occasion of the Foundation day where Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit was the chief guest.

Stating that completing the 135 kms of network in Phase II in just a little over three years -- almost half the time it took to complete Phase I -- was a daunting task indeed, the DMRC MD said the DMRC would accomplish the task well before schedule.

He expressed pride over the fact that the Delhi Metro was among the five Metro systems in the world which were making operational profits.

''Not only are we making profits but we are also able to generate a surplus to be able to repay the loans taken from the Japanese Bank of International Development,''he said.

Speaking at the event, the Chief Minister, lauding the efficiency and high standards set by the Delhi Metro, said, ''the DMRC has to become a role model for other projects in the country. If all the organisations showed the same dedication and efforts displayed by the Delhi Metro, India could become the best country in the world,''she said.

In this context, she pointed out that the success of the Delhi Metro had encouraged many other cities in the country, as also other countries, to put in place similar systems.

DMRC Chairman Mr Ramachandran, who was also present on the occasion, said that by 2010 the Metro would connect the most populated areas of Delhi and become one of the biggest metro networks in the world.

On the occasion, the Chief Minister gave awards to 25 Metro personnel for their outstanding work during the year.

UNI