NEW DELHI: Your commute from Gurgaon to Noida will soon take 30 minutes less. Likewise, you will save half an hour while going from Janakpuri to Faridabad, and over 15 minutes getting to Lajpat Nagar from Dwarka.The city’s Metro matrix is set for a dramatic upgrade by the end of this year, and these are just a few examples of how it will decrease commute times across Delhi and its neighbouring cities. Delhi Metro authorities say they will complete work on phase III, involving two new corridors and a few line extensions, by December 2016. It will open new interchange stations — that connect two or more corridors — enabling commuters to make smart line changes to reach their destinations faster.Take the Gurgaon-Noida commute, which is a nightmarish prospect via road. With the conversion of the existing Hauz Khas station into an interchange, Metro users coming from Gurgaon will be able to catch the new line 8 to reach Botanical Garden, without coming all the way to Rajiv Chowk.“With the construction of Hauz Khas interchange station, commuters can change here to bring down the Gurgaon-Noida travel time by about half-an-hour to a total of 50 minutes,” said DMRC spokesman Anuj Dayal.The travel distance will be considerably shorter — 25 intermediate stations as compared to the present 32.As part of the new corridors — Majlis Park to Shiv Vihar (line 7) and Janakpuri (west) to Botanical Garden (line 8) — the Delhi Metro will add as many as 18 interchange stations to the existing nine, leading to an estimated increase in ridership by 10 lakh.“The crisscrossing of phase III lines with the existing ones at many places will lead to emergence of interchange stations, shortening distances by up to 15km on some routes,” Dayal said. With these new interchange stations, commuters from any part of Delhi can change trains without going to the busy Rajiv Chowk or Central Secretariat interchanges.Rajouri Garden will emerge as another key interchange station. At present, it is part of the Blue line (Dwarka sector 21 to Noida/Vaishali) and will integrate with line 7. Passengers from west Delhi have to go all the way to Mandi House to catch the train to south Delhi. After phase III completion, commuters can change at Rajouri Garden and get a straight ride to south Delhi through line 7.One of the biggest interchanges, said Dayal, will be Kalkaji Mandir station. This station, part of the Violet line (ITO to Escorts Mujesar), will become an interchange with line 8. “As per the detailed project report (DPR), more than 77,000 passengers will use the station after its commissioning,” said Dayal. The reason is the easy connectivity for commuters coming from Faridabad to south Delhi via the Kalkaji Mandir interchange.Currently, passengers journey approximately one-and-half hours — 42 intermediate stations — between Escorts Mujesar and Janakpuri West. With the opening of the Kalkaji as an interchange station, commuters will be able to travel directly to Janakpuri West in about an hour’s time, saving around half an hour.Another important interchange will be the Botanical Garden station. Part of the Blue line, it will integrate with line 8. “This station will connect Noida directly with important locations of south Delhi such as Nehru Place, Kalkaji, Hauz Khas etc. The domestic airport will also get direct connectivity,” said Dayal. According to DMRC, the projected interchange load of the new station as per the DPR is 97,780 in 2016. Presently, approximately, 14,000 passengers use the station every day.Along with Botanical Garden, Anand Vihar will be another major interchange station. Part of the Blue line at present, it will integrate with line 7, providing direct connectivity between south and east Delhi. The expected interchange load as per the DPR is 15,959, adding to the present ridership of 23,000, said Dayal.