A line that brings many firsts for Delhi Metro
MAGENTA LINE New section gets deepest station, nation’s steepest escalator
NEW DELHI: With the deepest station, and the steepest escalator, the upcoming Janakpuri WestKalkaji Mandir stretch of the Magenta Line brings many firsts to the Delhi Metro network.
In a media preview of the 24.8-km section of the Magenta Line on Thursday, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) unveiled the portion, which would finally provide a connection between Noida, Delhi and Gurugram. The section will be inaugurated on Monday and will be thrown open on Tuesday.
CONNECTING NCR
DMRC estimates show commuters will now be able to travel from Noida to Gurugram in just 50 minutes, as against the one-anda-half hours earlier. Instead of changing lines from Rajiv Chowk, commuters can now use the Magenta Line and inter- change for the Yellow Line (Samaypur Badli-huda City Centre) from Hauz Khas, officials said.
“Commuters will save over half hour travelling from Botanical Garden to Huda City Centre,” DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said.
DEEPEST STATION
Apart from providing inter- change facilities, the new section of the Hauz Khas station will also become the deepest station in the Delhi Metro network.
The depth of the new station is 29 metres, and it connects with the operational station of the Yellow Line through a ramp. Before this, Chawri Bazar station was the deepest station in Delhi, which went 25 metres below ground level.
STEEPEST ESCALATOR
At the other end of the line, Janakpuri West also has some unique features. The station has an escalator with the highest escalation point of 15.65 m — which is as high as a five-storey building — making it the steepest escalator in the country.
“The horizontal length of the escalators is 35.32 m and the height is equal to a five-storey building. The weight of each escalator is 26 tonnes and a 250-tonne crane was brought in for their installing,” a DMRC statement said.
The longest stretch to be inaugurated by the DMRC at once
The 24.82 km-long stretch between Janakpuri West and Kalkaji Mandir will be the longest stretch to be inaugurated by the Metro at once.
This stretch is a part of the 38.2km Janakpuri West-botanical Garden corridor.