New Delhi: A section of Delhi Metro's Magenta line that connects Botanical Garden to Kalkaji was today inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The 12.64-km stretch, part of the Botanical Garden-Janakpuri West corridor, aims to bring Noida closer to south Delhi. While Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accompanied PM Modi as he travelled to the Okhla Bird Sanctuary station in the swanky train, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal wasn't invited.
This was the third Metro line to be launched by PM Modi in 2017. He had earlier "dedicated the Kochi Metro to the nation in June, and the Hyderabad Metro in November". He urged the commuters in Delhi-NCR to leave their cars at home and take the train instead. He said the Metro will help reduce the use of fuel and save the environment.
Along the Magenta Line fall nine stations -- Botanical Garden, Okhla Bird Sanctuary, Kalindi Kunj, Jasola Vihar Shaheen Bagh, Okhla Vihar, Jamia Milia Islamia, Sukhdev Vihar, Okhla NSIC and Kalkaji Mandir.
Earlier, passengers had to take a train from Noida had to switch Metro at Mandi house to go to south Delhi. Now, the journey that took 52 minutes can now be completed in just 19 minutes. This Metro line will immensely benefit the students of Jamia Milia Islamia and Amity University and officer-goers headed for Noida.
Noida and Faridabad have also come closer and those travelling to Faridabad will be able to change trains at Kalkaji Mandir and go directly to Faridabad, saving them a lot of time.
This line will also have an interchangeable station at Hauz Khas. Once this line opens completely, commuters from Noida to Gurgaon would be able to bypass the crowded Rajiv Chowk station and change trains at Hauz Khas station to reach Gurgaon.
The coaches will have LED information display, power charging capacity and colourful seats. The new stations have been decorated using themes of nature, yoga, and cultural landmarks.
This would be first line on the Delhi Metro network where driverless trains will be introduced along with the Communication Based Train Control (CBTC) signalling technology, which facilitates the movement of trains within a frequency of 90 to 100 seconds.
The platform screen doors (PSDs) are also being used for the first time. PSDs are glass-made screens installed near the edge of platforms that open only when a train arrives and shut after it departs.
Metro rides in Delhi-NCR got costlier this year after the fare structure saw two revisions. Starting at Rs 10, the fare goes up to Rs 60. Divided into six fare slabs, the new fare structure, Monday through Saturday, is:
Rs 10 for up to 2 kms
Rs20 for 2 to 5 kms
Rs 30 for 5 to 12 kms
Rs 40 from 12 to 21 kms
Rs 50 from 21 to 32 kms
Rs 60 for journeys over 32 kms
Those carrying a smart card and travelling during off-peak hours -- between 6am to 8am, 12pm to 5pm and 10 pm onwards -- can avail a discount of 20 per cent. On Sundays and national holidays (January 26, August 15 and October 2), there is a discount of Rs 10 across slabs. When the Metro had started operations in 2002, the minimum fare was Rs 4 and maximum was Rs 8.
The trains run from 6 am till about 11 pm.
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