17.8 km Shiv Vihar section of Metro Pink Line opens

■ Delhi among select group of cities with over 300 km Metro network ◗ The Delhi Metro network has now expanded to nearly 314 km with 229 stations with the operationalisation of the new corridor

The 17.8- km Shiv ViharTrilokpuri Sanjay Lake section of the Pink Line was opened to public on Wednesday, putting Delhi among a select group of cities such as London and Shanghai that have an operational metro network of over 300 km.

The Delhi Metro network has now expanded to nearly 314 km with 229 stations with the operationalisation of the new corridor.

The new Anand Vihar Metro station on this stretch, an interchange facility with an existing eponymous station on the Blue Line, has turned the area into a major transport hub, with a railway station and an inter- state bus terminus ( ISBT) already present.

The main highlight of this section is the presence of three interchange stations — Anand Vihar ( with Blue Line), Karkardooma ( with Line) and Welcome Red Line).

With its opening, the Delhi Metro also joined the league of top metro networks around the Blue ( with world which have an operational length of over 300 km, like those in London, Beijing, Shanghai and New York, Delhi Metro officials said.

Union housing and urban affairs minister Hardeep Singh Puri said, “The journey that started in 2002 has passed the 300 km- mark today to reach 314 km. The Metro project in Delhi is a global success.”

After the opening of this line, the Delhi Metro will be running 4,749 trips a day, the “highest ever” so far, officials said.

However, due to infrastructure constraints, trains on the Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake- IP Extension section on this corridor will ply on a single route with a frequency of a little 15 minutes and 36 seconds, officials had said on Monday.

The train services between IP Extension and Shiv Vihar section will be run as per normal practice.