Once operational, Phase III of the Delhi Metro will prove to be blessing for college-going students.
The new corridors will connect five major universities in the National Capital Region (NCR), none of which enjoy metro connectivity at present.
The 38-kilometre long Magenta Line, which will connect West Delhi’s Janakpuri (West) with Botanical Garden in Noida, will cover as many as four universities — Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Jamia Milia Islamia and Amity University.
“The route of the new corridors under Phase-III were created with the intention of covering key institutions. JNU has about 5,500 students, IIT has around 5,600, and Jamia has approximately 15,000 students, who constitute a huge chunk of metro commuters. We wanted to provide them with seamless travel,” said a metro official.
While IIT will have access to a dedicated station by the same name, Amity University will have the Okhla Bird Sanctuary station adjacent to its campus. The Munirka station will come up close to the JNU campus, while Jamia Milia Islamia station will benefit from a station of the same name.
Delhi University, too, will not be left behind. The 58.5-km-long Pink Line, which is the longest metro corridor that connects Majlis Park with Shiv Vihar, will have a dedicated station for the South Campus. “For the first time, South Campus will also come under metro connectivity. A station called Durga Bai Deshmukh South Campus will come up near the Atma Ram Sanatan Dharma (ARSD) College.
Current status
At present, the Delhi Metro connects DU’s North Campus through the Vishwavidyalaya station. It also offers connectivity to other DU colleges like Lady Shri Ram College (Kailash Colony station), Dyal Singh College (JLN Stadium station), Deshbandhu College (Nehru Place), and Indraprastha College For Women (Civil Lines).
The new campus of Guru Govind Singh Indraprastha University in Sector 16, Dwarka, and the Indian Law University are connected through the Dwarka Sector 13 and Sector 14 stations of the Blue Line. Also, Netaji Subhas Institute of Technology (NSIT) is connected through the Dwarka Mod station of the Blue Line.
