Delhi CM launches construction of 12.3-km Inderlok-Indraprastha Metro corridor

New Delhi, Jul 9 (PTI) Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta on Thursday launched the construction of the Inderlok-Indraprastha Metro corridor, a fully underground Magenta Line extension that will connect key areas, including Sarai Rohilla, Karol Bagh, New Delhi Railway Station and central Delhi landmarks. The 12.377-km corridor will be developed as a fully underground extension of the Magenta Line (Line-8) and will have 10 underground stations at Inderlok, Daya Basti, Sarai Rohilla, Ajmal Khan Park, Jhandewalan Temple, Nabi Karim, New Delhi, Delhi Gate, Delhi Sachivalaya-IG Stadium and Indraprastha, a statement said. The corridor, after completion, will operate as part of the driverless Magenta Line. The ongoing priority corridor works of the Magenta Line, including sections between Janakpuri West-R K Ashram Marg, are being executed in phases, with some stretches already operational, it stated. The Magenta Line will become the longest corridor in the Delhi Metro network, extending nearly 89 km from Botanical Garden to Inderlok, it stated and added that the line will also have the highest number of interchange stations and underground stations in the network, improving connectivity across the national capital. The corridor will provide interchange facilities with seven Metro lines, including the Red and Green Lines at Inderlok, Magenta Line at Nabi Karim, Yellow and Airport Express (Orange) Line at New Delhi, Violet Line at Delhi Gate and Blue Line at Indraprastha, it read. According to the statement, the new corridor will connect several important locations, including Sarai Rohilla Railway Station, New Delhi Railway Station, Delhi Sachivalaya, Arun Jaitley Stadium, Jhandewalan Temple, India Gate, Kartavya Path, National War Memorial and the Central Vista area. The Sarai Rohilla station is expected to emerge as a key transit hub, providing better connectivity to nearby areas such as Karol Bagh market, Deshbandhu Gupta Road, educational institutions and commercial establishments, it said. The chief minister said the Delhi Metro is not just a mode of transport but the foundation of a developed Delhi, adding that expansion of the network would provide citizens with safe, convenient and environment-friendly public transport while supporting sustainable growth. Gupta said better public transport would help reduce pollution, ease traffic congestion and strengthen Delhi's economy by improving connectivity across the city. She added that the Delhi government was working in coordination with the Centre and the DMRC to further improve public transport infrastructure. DMRC principal executive director (Corporate Communications) Anuj Dayal said construction work commenced with the diaphragm wall construction at the Sarai Rohilla Metro Station site. He said the station is strategically located in central Delhi and would improve access to important residential and commercial areas. The expansion of the Metro network is also aimed at encouraging greater use of public transport, reducing dependence on private vehicles and helping lower fuel consumption and carbon emissions, he added. PTI SHB SHB APL APL