New Delhi: Delhi Metro's Magenta Line, stretching from Janakpuri West to Botanical Garden, will be fully operational on May 29, significantly reducing travel time from west Delhi to Noida in Uttar Pradesh, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) stated on Monday.
A portion of the Line, extending from Botanical Garden in Noida to Kalkaji Mandir in south Delhi, was started in December last year.
The second section, between Nehru Enclave and Janakpuri West, will be formally flagged off by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal on May 28 at 4:30 pm from Nehru Enclave Metro station.
Of this 25.6 km section, 23 km is underground, while the rest is elevated, with Sadar Bazar and Shankar Vihar being the elevated stations.
The 16 stations on this stretch are Janakpuri West, Dabri Mor, Dashrathpuri, Palam, Sadar Bazar, Terminal 1-IGI Airport, Shankar Vihar, Vasant Vihar, Munirka, R.K. Puram, Hauz Khas, IIT, Panchsheel Park, Chirag Delhi, GK Enclave and Nehru Enclave.
With the commissioning of this section, the entire corridor will expand to 278 km with 202 stations, the statement by DMRC said.
"The domestic terminals of the Indira Gandhi International Airport will also get directly connected by the Metro. Residents of Noida will also get direct connectivity to the domestic terminal of the airport," it added.
The Magenta Line will link west Delhi directly with key areas in south Delhi, eventually crossing the Yamuna river to enter Noida.
The line will have four interchange stations, namely Hauz Khas (connecting with Yellow Line), Kalkaji Mandir (connecting with Violet Line), Janakpuri West and Botanical Garden (both connecting with Blue Line).
Janakpuri West, the first station of the entire 34 km-long line, will be a key interchange, giving access to commuters from west Delhi to areas in south Delhi and Noida.
Now, with four interchange options, the domestic terminal of Delhi airport will be easily accessible from any parts of the Capital.
The distance between south Delhi and the airport will be a mere 20 minutes. However, from other parts of NCR, it will between 35 to 50 minutes to reach the airport.
Moreover, with the opening of the second section and the beginning of operations at Munirka station, the renowned Jawaharlal Nehru University will be covered under the Delhi Metro network too.
The Indian Institute of Technology too will be connected, thanks to the opening of IIT Delhi station on May 29.