delhi

Updated: May 16, 2018 08:54 IST

The remaining section of Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line, connecting south Delhi’s Kalkaji Mandir and west Delhi’s Janakpuri West, is set to open “within the next week”, officials said. Once this stretch is operational, commuters from Noida and south Delhi will be able to travel directly to the airport on the Metro.

On Tuesday, the line received the approval from the commissioner of Metro rail safety (CMRS) to start operations, officials from the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said. “The CMRS has given the mandatory approval to start passenger operations on the 25.6km-long section between Janakpuri West and Kalkaji Mandir,” a DMRC statement read.

A Metro spokesperson said that the section is likely to be inaugurated “within the next week”, after which it will be opened for commuters. DMRC officials said they are awaiting the completion of some final paperwork before the announcement of inauguration date.

This 25.6km stretch is a part of the 38.23km Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden corridor of the Magenta Line under the Delhi Metro’s Phase III. A 12.6km stretch of this line, connecting Botanical Garden and Kalkaji Mandir, is already operational.

The soon-to-be-open section will have 16 stations — Janakpuri West, Dabri Mor, Dashrath Puri, Palam, Sadar Bazar Cantonment, Terminal-1 Indira Gandhi InternationalAirport,ShankarVihar, Vasant Vihar, Munirka, RK Puram, IIT, Hauz Khas, Panchsheel Park, Chirag Delhi, Greater Kailash, and Nehru Enclave. Interchange facility will be available at Janakpuri West (for the Blue Line) and Hauz Khas (for the Yellow Line).

These stations include some heavily populated residential areas like Vasant Vihar, Munirka and RK Puram, which till now were not connected by the Delhi Metro.

Once the Magenta Line is fully opened to the public, commuters from Noida will be able to save 45 minutes in their travel time to south Delhi. DMRC officials said according to estimates, commuters from west Delhi will be able to travel to south Delhi and Noida in half the time taken by road.

The DMRC also said the line is likely to have a daily footfall of over 4 lakh passengers. The wait time between trains has been estimated to be five minutes and 14 seconds.

After the opening of the line, commuters from Noida will also be able to go to Gurugram by interchanging at Hauz Khas. The commute from Noida and Faridabad will also get shorter.