Grey Line gets one more station, Metro touches Delhi’s rural heart | Latest News Delhi - Hindustan Times
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Grey Line gets one more station, Metro touches Delhi’s rural heart

Sep 19, 2021 12:06 AM IST

The newly opened Dhansa Bus Stand station is an underground facility, and is an extension of the Dwarka-Najafgarh corridor, which is known as the Grey Line. Now, the line will have four stations -- Dwarka, Nangli, Najafgarh and Dhansa Bus Stop.

The Dhansa Bus Stand – Najafgarh section on Delhi Metro’s Grey Line was opened at 5pm on Saturday with Union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurating the stretch through video conference.

Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated the Dhansa Bus Stand–Najafgarh section on the Grey Line of Delhi Metro via video conference on Saturday. (PTI)
Union Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal inaugurated the Dhansa Bus Stand–Najafgarh section on the Grey Line of Delhi Metro via video conference on Saturday. (PTI)

The newly opened Dhansa Bus Stand station is an underground facility, and is an extension of the Dwarka-Najafgarh corridor, which is known as the Grey Line. Now, the line will have four stations -- Dwarka, Nangli, Najafgarh and Dhansa Bus Stop.

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The stretch between Najafgarh and Dhansa Bus stand is only 1.2 kilometres long, but it is significant as it will provide the Metro link to at least 50 villages in that area.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said the Dhansa Bus Stand station is the first ever underground Metro station of the Delhi Metro network to have an entire underground floor dedicated for parking of vehicles. “The parking facility will be integrated with the main station area where vehicle users will be able to park their cars and two wheelers and then proceed to the concourse of the station directly using lifts and escalators,” it said.

Speaking at the inauguration Puri said the total Metro network in India will be increased to about 2,000 kms by 2022. “Nearly 740 km of metro lines are at present operational in various cities in India and the network span is steadily scheduled to rise to about 900 km by 2022. The remaining kms are under construction,” he said.

Puri said with its ridership reaching 6.5 million per day during the pre-Covid times, Delhi Metro has been a trailblazer. “The overall ridership in Metros across the country in pre-pandemic time was 8.5 million, of which the Delhi Metro alone conducted 6.5 million rides,” he said.

Kejriwal said until Friday, the route of the Delhi Metro in outer Delhi used to end at the Delhi Gate region in Najafgarh. “There are about 50 villages in the area from where a huge number of people come to central parts of the city for work and shopping. All these people had to cross the busy and congested Phirni Road Chowk to get to the Metro that resulted in a huge traffic jam at the Chowk. Now that the metro services have been extended to the Dhansa Bus Stand, people won’t need to cross the Chowk and wade through traffic. The new link may be just 1.5 kms long but it is a very significant stretch for the residents. A large number of people come from Jhajjar, Haryana to work in Delhi. They too will benefit from this service,” he said.

The areas around Dhansa Bus Stand in the Najafgarh region have deep cultural roots and contributes significantly in terms of ecological value. Jheel between Najafgarh and Dhansa is a marshy ecosystem and is an ecological haven for a large number of local wildlife. It also witnesses seasonal movement of migratory birds.

To make the Metro station reflect the essence of the area, DMRC used photographs on printed glass panels at Dhansa Bus Stand station to showcase the rich biodiversity of this area. The artwork at the station is themed as “Migratory Birds”, the DMRC said. “The surrounding villages are renowned for many ancient folklores. The villages host fairs to celebrate their historical significance.Therefore, some hand painted artworks are inspired by their rich spirit and the celebration of values and are themed as “local socio-cultural scenario,” it said.

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