HERITAGE METRO THROWN OPEN FOR COMMUTERS
The Delhi Metro made its arrival into the heritage area of the National Capital, with the inaugral of the much awaited ‘Heritage Line’ on Sunday.
The extension of Violet Line (5.17 KM) that will join the Kashmere Gate to ITO- Faridabad, comprises of three stations- Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid and Red Fort. The line will take considerable load off the Chandni Chowk and Chawri Bazar metro stations of Yellow line.
On Sunday, the new line was jointly flagged off by Union Urban Development Minister Venkaiah Naidu and Delhi Chief Minister via video conferencing at Metro Bhawan. While addressing the gathering, Naidu said that old Delhi is the cultural hub of the city where several historical monuments are located.
With the opening of this Heritage Corridor, the operational metro network has been extended to 218 km with 164 Stations. On this section, trains will be available at a frequency of three minutes and 20 seconds during peak hours.
“We have seen that how the first metro connection to this old city had revived the market areas of Chandni Chowk and Chawri Bazar, nearly a decade ago. With this line, we are further expecting the boost in the economy of Delhi,” said Naidu.
He also stated that the operation over this line is another milestone of DMRC. “The construction of this line was a challenge as the engineers associated with Delhi Metro had to drill through many congested areas as well as through stretches close to important historical monuments,” he added.
Naidu stated that the city has a culture that every family member should have their own car which is wrong. “We should focus on cycle tracks and better public transport in Delhi,” he added.
This line is aimed at bringing more people to these monuments as now the visitors will not have to worry about traffic and parking hassles.
The three stations of this line, all underground, have been designed in accordance with the heritage of the area to provide glimpses of its rich past and vibrant present.
Union Minister and Member of Parliament, Chandni Chowk, Dr. Harsh Vardhan said, “I have traveled by Metros across the world but whenever we compare with others, Delhi Metro is better than most.”
This section will ease commuting from areas along Delhi Metro’s Red Line (Rithala – Dilshad Garden) to south Delhi and Faridabad since passengers now will have to change trains only once at Kashmere Gate, which has been transformed into a mega interchange facility for three different corridors (red, yellow and violet lines).
Delhi Metro’s Managing Director, Mangu Singh thanked the people along the Ito-kashmere Gate corridor for their continuous support and cooperation. The occasion was also attended by MLA Praveen Kumar and Chairman, DMRC, Rajiv Gauba.
Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal said, “The Delhi Metro has today become the pride of not only the city but the entire India. There are many countries now which are looking up to Delhi Metro and DMRC is providing consultancy to many towns and cities."from the point of view of environment protection, time management, and economy, Delhi Metro has emerged as a very suitable mode of travel," he said.