The Delhi Metro’s much awaited Kalkaji Mandir-Botanical Garden stretch of the Magenta Line, which will reduce travel time between Noida and south Delhi, will be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on December 25.
Sources from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said that Mr. Modi will flag off the train from Noida, after which the 12.64 km section of the line will be thrown open to the public. This section will also be the model for the first-of-its-kind signalling system, called the Communication Based Train Control (CBTC).
Shorter wait time
A senior official said that the system will increase frequency of trains and the waiting time at platforms will go down to 90 seconds, from the existing two minutes.
With the opening of this section, the travel time from Noida to south Delhi will reduce to just 45 minutes, from more than one hour.
“The Botanical Garden metro station will become the first interchange station outside Delhi. The Kalkaji Mandir station has also been developed as an interchange station and this will help reduce travel time between the Blue and Violet Lines significantly,” the DMRC said.
The section is part of the 38.23-km Botanical Garden-Janakpuri West corridor. Eight of the nine stations that will be opened next week are elevated.
The stations are: Botanical Garden, Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Kalindi Kunj, Jasola Vihar-Shaheen Bagh, Okhla Vihar, Jamia Millia Islamia, Sukhdev Vihar, Okhla NSIC and Kalkaji Mandir.
The line will also cater to two educational institutions: Jamia Millia Islamia and Amity University. The rest of the line is expected to be operational by late next year.
Driverless trains
Officials said that the DMRC is making use of the latest technology such as the Unattended Train Operations-enabled trains that will ply on this route.
These trains have also been developed with the driverless technology, which is the first in the country.
The Metro has, however, said that for the first two to three years the trains on the route will be operated by drivers.
Sources also said that the section had been ready for opening since last month but the DMRC was awaiting the final nod from the office of the Prime Minister.
“The inspections had been completed from Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS), between November 13-15 and we were given the go ahead. But the final approval was awaited,” a source said.
