Prime Minister Narendra Modi, on Sunday, inaugurated the 2.8 km stretch of metro line between Janakpuri West and Krishna Park Extension, the first section of Delhi Metro Phase IV developed at a cost of Rs 1,200 crore.

The areas of West Delhi to benefit from this section are Krishna Park, parts of Vikaspuri, and Janakpuri among others. On the occasion, the prime minister also laid the foundation stone for the 26.5 km Rithala-Narela-Kundli section of Delhi Metro Phase-IV worth around Rs 6,230 crore. This corridor will connect Rithala in Delhi to Nathupur (Kundli) in Haryana significantly enhancing connectivity in the northwestern parts of Delhi and Haryana.

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Key areas to benefit from this section include Rohini, Bawana, Narela, and Kundli. It will ease the access of metro services to residential, commercial, and industrial zones. Once operational, it will facilitate travel across Delhi, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh through the extended Red Line. Speaking on the occasion, the prime minister said, “Today marks another significant milestone in India’s modern infrastructure journey.”

Declaring that India’s metro network has now reached the 1,000-kilometer mark, he described it as a remarkable achievement. He said in 2014, when the country gave him the opportunity to serve it, India was not even among the the top ten in terms of metro connectivity globally. However, over the past ten years, India has become the third-largest country in the world in terms of metro network.

Mr Modi asserted that during his current tenure India would boast of the second-largest metro network in the world. Before 2014, India’s metro network was only 248 kilometers and limited to just five cities. But in the past ten years, over 752 kilometers of new metro lines have been inaugurated in India. He further added that today, metro services are operational in 21 cities across the country with over 1,000 kilometers of metro routes currently under rapid development. Noting the expansion of the Delhi Metro with the inauguration and foundation laying of two new routes, Modi emphasised that after Gurgaon, another part of Haryana is now being connected to the metro network.

He further said that the Rithala-Narela-Kundli corridor would be one of the largest sections of the Delhi Metro network, strengthening connectivity between key industrial centers in Delhi and Haryana, and making commuting easier for people. The prime minister was pleased to note that, due to the continuous efforts of the government of India, metro routes in Delhi are steadily increasing and remarked that in 2014, the total metro network in Delhi-NCR was less than 200 kilometers, and today it has more than doubled. Later, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) commenced passenger services on the Janakpuri West-Krishna Park Extension section on the Magenta Line at 3 pm, marking the inauguration of the first section under the Phase IV network.

With the addition of Krishna Park Extension Station, the Delhi Metro network comprises 289 stations spanning a total length of 394.448 km. This new section is an extension of the already operational Botanical Garden-Janakpuri West on Magenta Line. This extension ensures that metro services will now run up to Krishna Park Extension, offering enhanced connectivity to commuters in the nearby areas.

To facilitate smooth operations, train services between Janakpuri West and Krishna Park Extension will be available at a frequency of 16 minutes initially. With the addition of this section, the Magenta Line will now become about 40 kilometres long. The rest of the Magenta Line extension from Krishna Park Extension till RK Ashram Marg will be completed by the year 2026 in phases. Work is in progress for the remaining corridor as well.