However, after Qutub Minar from where the elevated Metro line eventually goes underground after Saket, work would be completed as per the earlier deadline, that is July 2010. The Sushant Lok-Qutub stretch would not be connected to the network in Delhi till the Saket-Central Secretariat stretch is completed.  

"Till that time we are contemplating to run shuttle services between Sushant Lok and Qutub Minar. The number of Metro trains to run as shuttle trains is yet to be decided," DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said.

"The decision to complete work on the 7-km Delhi border-Qutub Minar (Mehrauli) stretch inside Delhi by January 2010 came after a revision of the proposed Gurgaon Metro line. We had agreed to Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda's request to complete the Gurgaon line by January 2010 at the time of signing of MoU between DMRC and Haryana," said Daljit Singh, DMRC's chief project manager.

Singh said that there was no point completing the Gurgaon stretch between De1hiborder and Sushant Lok by January 2010 separately when the deadline of the Delhi stretch was July 2010. "Therefore we decided to revise the completion deadline of the Delhi border-Qutub Minar line from July to January 2010. With this, people on both sides would be able to commute at least between Gurgaon and Qutub Minar from February 2010 while the work on the rest of the stretch beyond Qutub Minar would continue till July 2010," the chief project manager said.

On the entire 14-km stretch between Qutub Minar and Sushant Lok, a total of 10 stations have been proposed; five each on both sides.

DMRC officials also claimed more than 60 per cent of civil construction work on this stretch had been completed. "We plan to complete civil work on this stretch by May 2009 after which other key work such as laying of overhead electrification, tracks and installation of equipment would start," Singh said.