New Delhi, May 29: Flagging off the much awaited Janakpuri West-Kalkaji Mandir stretch of the Magenta Line in the Delhi Metro, there are many things which have come in as a surprise for the commuters. The section was inaugurated on Monday by Union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal at Nehru Enclave metro station and has opened its gates for the public from today.
Previewing the 24.8-km section of the Magenta Line on Thursday, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) unveiled the section, which would finally provide a connection between Noida, Delhi, and Gurugram. With the opening of this section, the total operational span of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) network has reached to 277 km.
Passenger services on the segment, which has 16 stations, 14 underground and two elevated will begin from Tuesday at 6 am from Kalkaji Mandir and Janakpuri West stations simultaneously. After the inauguration, the dignitaries traveled in a train till Hauz Khas metro station.
At 29 meters, the five-level new Hauz Khas station is the deepest metro station in the entire network and an engineering landmark as its tunnel goes beneath that of the existing station on Yellow Line. Hauz Khas (with Yellow Line) and Janakpuri West (with Blue Line) stations are the interchange facilities on this corridor, besides the existing Kalkaji Mandir station (with Violet Line).
This section is also the longest stretch to have been opened so far in the DMRC’s Phase-III project.
With the opening of this stretch, the entire Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden Magenta Line corridor, covering the city’s arterial Outer Ring Road, has become operational. Terminal 1 of the IGI Airport has also been connected to the metro network through this corridor, with an eponymous station on it.
On December 25, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the 12.64-km-long stretch of the Magenta Line’s Botanical Garden-Kalkaji Mandir corridor, cutting down travel time between Noida and parts of south Delhi by more than 30 minutes.
Now, with the opening of the remainder of the Magenta Line, the travel time between Noida and Gurgaon will shrink by at least 30 minutes.