According to her, smooth transportation of sportspersons to various sporting venues or stadia will be the most important aspect of the traffic plan for the Commonwealth Games, to be held in Delhi in October 2010.

The Chief Minister told reporters on the sidelines of a symposium on public transport, held in New Delhi, that a traffic plan for the Commonwealth Games is being worked out by the Delhi police. Since Delhi has the advantage of being round, there are a number of alternative routes available, she said.

According to R K Verma, Transport Commissioner of Delhi, the transport system is being bettered gradually. Before the Commonwealth Games, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) will run 10,000 buses. There will be more Metro lines, R K Verma said, adding that the government hopes that more people will shift from using cars to using public transport. The focus of the traffic improvement will be on the effective use of the existing space and its potential.

In another important development regarding improving the traffic system for the Commonwealth Games 2010, Delhi police are likely to introduce soon the “e-payment’ of traffic challans. This means that a traffic violator can punch his credit card or debit card number on the website www.delhitrafficpolice.nic.in

The system – named ‘e-challaning’ – is said to be based on the method adopted by the traffic police of Bangalore. In Bangalore, a traffic violator can pay online to a notice, by just typing in the notice number, the registration number of the vehicle and give his email address, along with the details of his credit card or debit card.

Ajay Chadha, Special Commissioner of Police (Traffic), Delhi, said that, in the e-challaning method, notices will be linked to the central system.

Besides, it has been proposed to provide police officers on beat duty on Delhi roads with Blackberry mobile phones, which will help them keep a tab on habitual traffic offenders.

The Delhi traffic police have already begun the process of selecting the company best suited for implementing the e-challaning system.

Ajay Chadha said that, in order to familiarise the public with the traffic circulation system for the Commonwealth Games, the traffic police will barricade and restrict movement of traffic on certain roads. The trial runs, which are likely to start in the middle of February 2010, will continue till the Commonwealth Games starts.

The first trial is expected to be held on the route that the athletes will take from the Indira Gandhi International Airport to reach the Games Village, located in East Delhi.

According to sources, the Delhi traffic police could conduct the trials during the hockey World Cup – to be held from February 28, 2010, to March 13, 2010 – on the route that the hockey teams will take to reach Dhyan Chand Stadium, near India Gate, from Le Meridian Hotel. This plan be will be later implemented in the stretch between the Games Village and Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, which is the venue for the opening ceremony and the closing ceremony of the Commonwealth Games, as well as other sporting venues.

The Capital to City Airport Terminals (CATs) will enable fast transit to the airport – complete with baggage check-in, issue of boarding pass, and a high-speed train to the airport.

Pic: Delhi metro

The Delhi Metro Airport Express Line – modelled on London’s Heathrow Express and Hong Kong’s Metro Airport Link – will have only 6 halts on way to the airport and will cover the distance in 20 minutes. As the 2010 Commonwealth Games approach, the Airport Express will be critical in the transportation of athletes and equipment from the Airport to their accommodation and stadiums. Also, the metro line will ensure that the Airport’s pre-paid taxi cab mafia cannot exploit the visitors.

For air travellers, airline and baggage check-in counters will be available at the NDLS, Dhaula Kuan Metro, Shivaji Terminus stations. According to officials, these railway stations will function like mini-versions of airport terminals.

In all, 8 trains having 6 coaches each will be pressed into service.

The trains that run on the Airport Express Line will be different from those on the other metro lines in that the Airport Express Line trains will have a cruising speed of 135 kmph. That will make the Delhi Metro’s Airport Express the fastest way to get to the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

In addition, the Airport Express Line trains offer state-of-the-art facilities, for which the passengers have to pay much less than taxi fares, since Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has decided to keep the train fare at a maximum of Rs 150 till Indira Gandhi International Airport, and an extra Rs 30 to Dwarka.

These trains have cushioned seats with arm-rests for all passengers. For the airport-bound passengers, the Airport Express Line trains offer specially designed overhead compartment to keep hand-baggage as also additional space under seats. Unlike the normal Delhi Metro train coaches, these would have front or rear facing seats . The normal coaches have very few seats to ensure there is enough space for people to stand during rush hours.

All passengers on board the trains will have access to real-time, updated flight information on display boards.

Each coach carries 2 concealed cameras aimed at extra security.

The baggage will be secured in containers and loaded onto the trains at the CATs.

After being offloaded at the Indira Gandhi International Airport Metro station, the baggage will be routed through dedicated tunnel using conveyor belts to the airport terminal’s common baggage-hold area.

Each station on the Capital to City Airport Terminals (CATs) line will have fully-automated access for passengers from the ground to the trains, with bigger lifts and wider escalators.

The CATs will provide for the commuters to park their cars in parking lots and then take a train to the airport.

The Delhi Metro Airport Express trains, which will initially run at a frequency of 10 minutes, are to take longer halts at stations to allow passengers to load their baggage.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation has projected that about 42,000 people will use the Airport Express Line service daily.

The metro station at Indira Gandhi International Airport will be built close to the airport’s Terminal 3 and Terminal 4, which are intended to handle domestic as well as international air traffic in 2010.

Direct transit to the terminal’s lobby will be through a tunnel link.

The Airport Express Line is the first such rail line being built on a public-private partnership (PPP) basis.

According to the agreement between Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and the concessionaire, which is a joint venture between Reliance Energy and CAS, a Spanish company, the concessionaire will be responsible for the design and construction of all stations, electrification, telecom, signaling, as well as procurement of rolling stock.

The Spanish firm also will construct a depot near the Dwarka station.

The total cost of the Airport Express Line, which comes to Rs 3,800 crore, will be shared, with Delhi Metro Rail Corporation undertaking the civil construction work.

Two other Duronto trains – between Sealdah in Kolkata and New Delhi, and between Chennai Central station and Hazrat Nizamuddin were flagged off recently.

The Railway decided to launch the 2 Duronto Express trains from Maharashtra after it obtained clearance from the Election Commission of India.

Since the Model Code of Conduct for Elections is in place for the Maharashtra Assembly elections to be held on October 13, 2009, the Election Commission had directed that no minister should be involved in the flagging-off of the 2 trains.

The 2263 Pune-Hazrat Nizamuddin Duronto Express leaves Pune at 11.10 a.m. every Tuesday and Friday and arrives at Hazrat Nizamuddin at 7.10 a.m. the next day. On the return leg, the 2264 Hazrat Nizamuddin-Pune Duronto train starts from Hazrat Nizamuddin every Monday and Thursday at 11.00 a.m. and arrives at Pune at 7.20 a.m. the following day.

The 2262 Howrah-Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus Duronto Express will depart from Howrah at 8.20 am on every Monday and Friday and will reach Mumbai at 10.30 a.m. the next day. In the return direction, the 2261 Duronto Express leaves Mumbai at 5.15 p.m. every Tuesday and Saturday and reaches Howrah at 7.40 p.m. the next day.

The Howrah-Mumbai train will pass through Nagpur, but it will not have a commercial stoppage there.

The Railway has announced that there will not be any Tatkal quota in the Duronto Express trains as also many other concessions. There will be no discounts on tickets – under any scheme – for students, patients, the physically challenged, artistes and others in Duronto trains. However, senior citizens will get concessions.

According to reports, the non-availability of the Tatkal scheme on Duronto Express trains has displeased the business community, for whom the Tatkal scheme was of much help.

An official of the Railway said that since the non-stop, air-conditioned Duronto Express trains have facilities such as food and bedrolls like in the Rajdhani trains and since the fares in the Duronto trains are rather low, concessions cannot be given to the passengers.

In the Railway Budget for 2009-10, Minister for Railways Mamata Banerjee had announced that a total of 12 Duronto trains would be introduced.

Out of the promised 12 Duronto Express trains, 4 have been launched – for Delhi, Mumbai, Kolkata, Pune and Chennai.

Mamata Banerjee also announced that all the Duronto trains will run within the next 2 months.

The first Duronto train, between Sealdah in Kolkota and New Delhi, was flagged off the other day.

The inaugural run of Southern Railway’s Chennai-Delhi Duronto Express – which covers a distance of 2,177 kilometres – was flagged off by at Chennai Central by Union Home Minister P Chidambaram.

The Duronto Express departs from Chennai Central 6.40 a.m. on Mondays and Thursdays and arrives at Hazrat Nizamuddin at 10.35 a.m. the next day (on Tuesdays and Fridays.) In the return direction, the express will leave Nizamuddin at 4 p.m. on Tuesdays and reach Chennai at 8.10 p.m. on Wednesdays (the next day. The other day of departure from Hazrat Nizamuddin is yet to be unannounced.

The Chennai-Delhi one-way trip on Duronto Express costs Rs 2,530 for the air-conditioned 2-tier coach – as against Rs 2,625 on the Rajdhani Express and Rs 1,960 on Tamil Nadu Express and Grand Trunk Express.

On both the Duronto Express and the Rajdhani Express, the fare includes the cost of food.  In air-conditioned 3-tier coach, the Chennai-Delhi fare is Rs 1,925 for Duronto Express, Rs 2,005 for Rajdhani Express, and Rs 1,429 for Tamil Nadu Express and Grand Trunk Express.

The Duronto Express has a speed of 130/kmph since its coaches are made with  upgraded stainless steel, which makes the coaches lighter by about 2 tonnes each, compared to conventional coaches.

However, the Duronto takes nearly 28 hours (27 hours and 55 minutes) to cover the 2,177-kilometre distance between Chennai and Delhi. The running time is 28 hours and 10 minutes for Rajdhani Express, 33 hours for Tamil Nadu Express, and 35 hours for Grand Trunk Express.

A journey in the sleeper-class of Duronto Express costs an extra Rs 760, compared to Rs 528 in Tamil Nadu Express and Grand Trunk Express.

The coaches in Duronto Express are longer than the conventional coaches. There are 72 berths in the air-conditioned 3-tier coach, and 78 berths in the sleeper-class. The Duronto’s additional safety features include auto-closing vestibule doors (which means, each coach gets sealed in the event of a fire) as well as better thermal insulation and sound insulation.

According to M S Jayanth, general manager of Southern Railway, the special design enables the coaches to run at a speed of 130/kmph, compared to 110/kmph that is allowed to conventional express and mail trains.

The speed of the Duronto Express will be raised once the Chennai-New Delhi rail track is upgraded, resulting in further saving of about 2 more hours, Jayanth  said.

The introduction of the Duronto Express takes the number of trains running between Chennai Central and Delhi to 7. This is in addition to the 2 trains operating between Chennai Egmore and Delhi.

Of these North-bound trains, only the Chennai-New Delhi Tamil Nadu Express and the Chennai-New Delhi Grand Trunk Express trains are operated daily. While the Chennai-Jammu Tawi Express runs 3 days a week, the Chennai- Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express and the Gharib Rath runs 2 days a week, and the Chennai-Dehradun Express, once a week.

With more than 320 gorgeous luxury guestrooms and suites, and an outdoor pool, a fitness centre, yoga and aerobic studios, a beauty salon and large spa, the Leela Kempinski Gurgaon is sure enthrall their guests. There will also be 90 one-, two- and three-bedroom residences. In case you were wondering if a stay here would be good value for money, Don’t worry – the the rooms are well equipped with Wi-Fi connectivity, IP phones, LCD televisions with BlueRay players, iPod docks, electronic safes and ergonomic mattresses.

The leela Kempinski Gurgaon’s two Royal Club floors offer guests personalised and complimentary services and access to the Royal Club Lounge facilities. A display of contemporary Indian artwork makes it even more fascinating for the guests and enjoy their stay to the fullest.

The Leela Kempinski Gurgaon also offers ballrooms, boardrooms and meeting rooms, and a business centre standing on over 25,000 sqm
of area. The prperty also claims to have the lasrgest banqueting facilities in the region.

The different dining styles that have been included are Spectra, a 240-capacity ‘seven live kitchen dining concept’ restaurant; Diya, a 116-capacity Indian restaurant; Zanotta, an 80-capacity Italian restaurant; and an eclectic bar.

“Opening the first Leela hotel in northern India is a momentous occasion for us. Our management alliance with Ambience Group has been an important factor in The Leela’s expansion plan,” said Captain Nair, chairman, the Leela Group proudly. “Guests and patrons at the new property will experience the same distinguished hospitality as at our other hotels.”

The Leela Kempinski, Gurgaon however, will be managed by the Ambience Group. Raj Singh Gehlot, Chairman, Ambience Group is all game to take the responsibility in his own hands ,“We are delighted to join with The Leela to bring the experience of the foremost Indian chain to the city of Gurgaon,” he said. “This hotel is amongst several key luxury projects at Ambience Island, and is an integral part of the mixed-use complex which qualifies the Island as a luxury destination for residents, visitors and guests.” he continued.

The Leela Kempinski Gurgaon, Delhi (N.C.R.) is the first Leela property in northern India, and the first managed property for the Group. The group has hotels in Mumbai, Bangalore, Kovalam and Goa which have enjoyed a high rank ever since its first hotel was opened.

The Leela group was founded in 1957 by Capt. C.P. Krishnan Nair. The first hotel was opened in Bangalore in the presence of Capt. C.P. Krishnan Nair who fulfilled his long cherished dream on the occasion. The Leela group, other than luxury hotels and resorts, specailises in the business of ready-made garments.