It’s official: Delhi Metro’s full Magenta Line to open for public from May 29
The stretch due to open will have interchange stations at Janakpuri West and Hauz Khas, allowing commuters to change for Blue Line (Noida City Centre/Vaishali-Dwarka Sector 21) and Yellow Line (Huda City Centre-Samaypur Badli).
Come May 29, commuters from Noida, south and west Delhi will be able to beat traffic snarls and reach the domestic terminal of the city’s airport in less than half an hour.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Monday announced that the remaining 25.6 km of the Magenta Line (Janakpuri West-Kalkaji Mandir) will be inaugurated on May 28, and will be thrown open for the public from May 29.
The Janakpuri West-Kalkaji Mandir section of the corridor will be flagged off by Union minister for housing and urban affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on May 28 at 4.30pm from the Nehru Enclave Metro station, the DMRC said in a statement.
“After flagging off the line, the chief guests will take a ride in the Metro train from Nehru Enclave to Hauz Khas, which is a distance of four stations,” a DMRC spokesperson said.
The official also said that operations will begin for general public starting 6am the next day from Kalkaji Mandir and Janakpuri West simultaneously.
This section, comprising 16 stations, will be the longest stretch to be opened so far under Delhi Metro’s Phase III, connecting neighbourhoods along the Outer Ring Road in south Delhi.
On May 15, the DMRC had received the safety clearance from the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) allowing it to commence operations on this section of the line.
“After the Magenta Line fully opens, we will be running with 24 trains which we will gradually increase to 26... The frequency will be 5.15 seconds through the whole section and if passenger traffic demands, we may introduce shorter intermediate loops with higher frequency after studying the traffic pattern,” said Anuj Dayal, DMRC spokesperson.
With the opening of the section, the Metro will pass from the densely populated neighbourhoods of Janakpuri, Dabri Mor, Dashrath Puri, Munirka and Palam, while also connecting the posh neighbourhoods of Vasant Vihar, Hauz Khas, Greater Kailash, Chirag Delhi and Panchsheel Park.
This will also be the first time that the Delhi Metro will cross the cantonment area, benefitting residents who have been deprived of proper Metro connectivity till now.
Commuters from Gurugram will also be able to reach south Delhi and Noida by changing trains from Hauz Khas, the DMRC said.
This 25.6-km stretch is a part of the 38.23-km Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden corridor of the Magenta Line under the Delhi Metro’s Phase III. A 12.6-km stretch of this line, connecting Botanical Garden and Kalkaji Mandir, has been operational from December last year.