PM flags off Delhi Metro Magenta Line
noida — A stretch of Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Monday, cutting down the travel time between Noida and parts of south Delhi by more than 30 minutes.
With this launch, the total length of the metro network in Delhi-NCR has increased to 228 kilometres. Delhi Metro’s first stretch was declared open by then prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee on December 24, 2002.
Modi launched the 12-km stretch of the Magenta Line, a part of the metro’s phase-III construction, with a ride between the Botanical Garden and Okhla Bird Sanctuary stations in Noida around 1pm.
At 5pm, the commercial services commenced on the line.
The other stations on this section are Kalindi Kunj, Jasola Vihar Shaheen Bagh, Jamia Millia Islamia, Okhla Vihar, Sukhdev Vihar, Okhla NSIC and Kalkaji Mandir. While the Kalkaji Mandir station is underground, all the other stations are elevated.
Initially, the trains will be operated with a frequency of 5.14 minutes on this section.
Modi was accompanied by Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief Mangu Singh during the metro ride.
But Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was not invited to the inauguration. Locking horns with the Centre and the Delhi Metro since the fare hike, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal’s office denied receiving any invitation of the inauguration ceremony.
The other end of the line, for now, will be south Delhi’s Kalkaji Mandir. However, by April, the entire 38-km corridor, stretching till Janakpuri West, is scheduled to be functional.
From the metro station, the prime minister proceeded to the sector 125 rally ground at the Amity University, where he was scheduled to address a public rally.
With this launch, Botanical Garden became the first interchange station of the DMRC located outside Delhi’s boundaries as it was already one of the stations on the DwarkaNoida City Centre Blue Line.
Through this station, the commuters will be able to travel from Noida to various parts of south Delhi and the domestic terminal of the Indira Gandhi International Airport, when the entire Magenta Line becomes operational by March, 2018.
Until now, it used to take around 52 minutes to travel from Noida to south Delhi. The Magenta Line has brought it down to 19 minutes.
AAP on Monday criticised the DMRC for “insulting” the city’s people by not inviting Kejriwal to the inauguration of the Magenta Line, saying this was done to stop him from making a demand to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reduce fares. “Not inviting Delhi Chief Minister in the inauguration of Delhi Metro is the insult of citizens of Delhi. The only reason of not sending invitation to Kejriwal was to stop him of making demand from PM to reduce recently hiked Delhi Metro fare,” Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia tweeted.
AAP leader Dilip Kumar Pandey
Not inviting delhi chief minister in the inauguration of delhi metro is the insult of citizens of delhi. The only reason of not sending invitation to Kejriwal was to stop him of making demand from Pm to reduce recently hiked delhi metro fare, Manish Sisodia Delhi Deputy CM
also slammed the DMRC, saying “seven of nine stations of Magenta Line falls in Delhi and half of the money is paid by the Delhi government to the Delhi Metro, but the inauguration invitation was sent to PM, Chief Ministers of Uttar Pradesh and Haryana”.
“The problem is with Delhi man (Arvind Kejriwal). Everything is accepted but don’t rob Delhi people. Take credit but reduce fare.” —