Delhi could get its first stretch of metrolite, a cheaper, smaller and slower urban rail transit system compared to metro rail, with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation approving a 20-km line from Kirti Nagar till Dwarka Sector 25 recently, government officials said.

Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry Secretary Durga Shanker Mishra said on Friday that the DMRC Board had recently approved the stretch and sent it to Delhi government.

He added that the Ministry would consider the proposal after receiving it from the State government.

Three-coach trains

The Ministry had put out guidelines for metrolite, meant for smaller cities, in July this year. According to the standards, the metrolite trains would have three coaches, as opposed to six or eight in metro trains, and would have a maximum speed of 60 km/h and passenger load of 300.

As far as possible, metrolite trains should be on ground level, not elevated, in order to keep the cost of construction down, the guidelines say.

Asked about the proposal, a senior DMRC official said: “Last week the proposal to construct a 20-km line from Kirti Nagar to the Exhibition Centre in Dwarka Sector 25 was approved by the DMRC Board. The proposal will now be forwarded to both the Delhi government and the Centre for their approval following which the implementation can take place.”