NEW DELHI: Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate two corridors and lay the foundation for three additional corridors of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation on March 8, Chief Minister Rekha Gupta said on Thursday. The projects are part of the ongoing expansion of the Delhi Metro network and will involve an estimated investment of over Rs 18,300 crore. The initiative aims to strengthen public transport and ease daily travel for commuters in the city, an official statement said. Gupta said Modi will inaugurate the Majlis Park-Maujpur-Babarpur section of the Pink Line and the Deepali Chowk-Majlis Park section of the Magenta Line during a programme scheduled to be held at DDA Utsav Sthal. The 12.3 km Majlis Park-Maujpur-Babarpur corridor includes eight elevated stations and forms part of the already operational Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar Pink Line. With the addition of this stretch, the Pink Line will expand to about 71.56 km, making it the country’s first fully operational ‘Ring Metro’, the chief minister said. The stations on this corridor include Majlis Park, Burari, Jharoda Majra, Jagatpur-Wazirabad, Soorghat, Nanaksar-Sonia Vihar, Khajuri Khas, Bhajanpura, Yamuna Vihar and Maujpur-Babarpur, the statement read. The second corridor, from Deepali Chowk to Majlis Park, is a 9.92 km elevated extension of the Botanical Garden-Krishna Park Extension Magenta Line and will have seven stations. This extension will bring the total length of the Magenta Line to around 49 km, it stated. The stations on this section include Deepali Chowk, Madhuban Chowk, Uttar Pitampura-Prashant Vihar, Haiderpur Village, Haiderpur Badli Mor, Bhalswa and Majlis Park. Gupta said parts of the Deepali Chowk-Majlis Park corridor reach a height of around 28.36 metres, making it one of the highest elevated sections in the Delhi Metro network. The Majlis Park-Maujpur-Babarpur corridor also features a new bridge over the Yamuna and a double-decker viaduct carrying both a metro line and a road flyover. The prime minister will also lay the foundation stone for three new corridors — the Central Vista corridor from Ramakrishna Ashram Marg to Indraprastha, the Golden Line extension from Aerocity to Indira Gandhi Domestic Airport Terminal-1, and another Golden Line extension from Tughlakabad to Kalindi Kunj — under Phase-V (A) of the Delhi Metro expansion plan, it read. The 9.913 km Central Vista corridor will be constructed underground and include stations such as Shivaji Stadium, Central Secretariat, India Gate, War Memorial-High Court, Baroda House, Bharat Mandapam and Indraprastha, the statement said. The corridor is expected to improve connectivity to government and cultural landmarks in central Delhi, it read. The Aerocity-Terminal 1 extension of the Golden Line will be a 2.263 km underground stretch with one new station, while the 3.9 km Tughlakabad-Kalindi Kunj extension will be an elevated corridor with stations at Sarita Vihar Depot, Madanpur Khadar and Kalindi Kunj. Gupta said the expansion will also enhance connectivity for commuters from neighbouring cities, including Faridabad and Ballabhgarh, who will be able to reach the airport through Tughlakabad via the Violet Line. Passengers from Noida will have improved access through Kalindi Kunj and onward connections to south Delhi and the airport. She said the projects would help improve public transport, reduce vehicular traffic on roads and contribute to efforts to curb pollution in the capital.
