Pink Line puts Metro on global map

New Delhi: With the opening of the Shiv Vihar-Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake section of the Pink Line on Wednesday, Delhi Metro will join the league of top metro networks around the world which have an operational length of over 300 km, a senior official said on Monday.

The all-elevated section in east Delhi consists of 15 stations, three of which are interchange facilities. "Once this segment of the Pink Line is inaugurated, the Delhi Metro network will expand to nearly 314 km with 229 stations. 

"With this, the Delhi Metro will cross the 300-km mark, and join the league of the top Metro systems around the world, which have already done so, like Metros in London, Beijing, Shanghai, New York," Executive Director, Corporate Communications at DMRC, Anuj Dayal told pressmen. 

The 8.10-km-long Durgabai Deshmukh South Campus-Lajpat Nagar section of Delhi Metro's Pink Line was the last corridor to be opened to the public. Opened on August 6, it had taken the overall span of the DMRC to 296 km and 214 stations. 

The 17.86 km-long Shiv Vihar-Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake section is slated to be formally flagged off for passenger operations on October 31 by Minister of State (Independent Charge) for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi Deputy Chief Minister Manish Sisodia.

After the inauguration of this section, Delhi Metro will have opened over 80 km of new lines this year. All the major corridors under Delhi Metro's Phase-III, including the Lajpat Nagar-Mayur-Pocket 1, are expected to be opened for passengers by the end of the year, officials said. 

The Delhi Metro has achieved a rare feat in metro construction by crossing over its existing operational line (Blue Line) at the Karkardooma Metro Station (old one) at a record height of 21 m above the ground, making it the second highest structure in the network, Dayal said. 

The highest point in the metro lies in Dhaula Kuan area, between Mayapuri and South Campus metro stations of the Pink Line, at a height of 23.6 m – as high as a seven-storey building. 

The Phase-III network after the opening of Shiv Vihar-Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake section would reach to nearly 124 km. Dayal said, this section offered a lot of challenges and one of them was that it had lot of curves.