In a major relief to commuters, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Monday announced that the Janakpuri West-Kalkaji Mandir corridor of the Magenta Line will be made operational from May 29.
Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal and Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs (Independent Charge) Hardeep Singh Puri will flag off the inaugural train on May 28 from the Nehru Enclave metro station.
The 25.6 km stretch, comprising 16 stations, will be the longest segment to be opened in the Delhi Metro’s Phase III network.
“With the opening of this stretch, the entire 38.2 km-long Magenta Line (Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden) will become operational,” said DMRC executive director (corporate communications), Anuj Dayal.
“After the Magenta Line fully opens, we will run 24 trains and then gradually increase it to 26. If the passenger traffic demands, we may increase train frequency after studying the traffic pattern,” Dayal added.
With two interchange stations at Janakpuri West (with Blue Line) and at Hauz Khas (with Yellow Line), this segment will also connect commuters to the Indira Gandhi International Airport’s Terminal 1 for the first time.
With the opening of the line, commuters from Gurugram will be able to reach south Delhi and Noida after interchanging at the Hauz Khas metro station.
The Kalkaji Mandir-Botanical Garden stretch of the Magenta Line was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25 last year.