Union Cabinet clears 3 new Metro stretches in Delhi, including Central Vista Corridor

New Delhi, Dec 24 (PTI) In a major boost to Delhi's infrastructure, the Union Cabinet on Wednesday approved three new Metro corridors, including a 9.91-km stretch from the RK Ashram Marg to Indraprastha, which will connect all Kartavya Bhavans, India Gate, Bharat Mandapam, the National War Memorial and other important installations in Lutyens' Delhi.

According to the government, the new Central Vista corridor will provide connectivity to all the Kartavya Bhavans, offering doorstep connectivity to office-goers and visitors to this area.

With this connectivity, around 60,000 office-goers and two lakh visitors will benefit on a daily basis. These corridors will further reduce pollution and the usage of fossil fuels, enhancing ease of living, an official statement said.

The stations part of this section include RK Ashram Marg, Shivaji Stadium, Central Secretariat, Kartavya Bhawan, India Gate, War Memorial–High Court, Baroda House, Bharat Mandapam and Indraprastha.

The Cabinet, chaired by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, also approved two other corridors -- Aerocity to Airport T-1 (2.263 km) and Tughlakabad to Kalindi Kunj (3.9 km).

All three corridors are part of Delhi Metro’s Phase-V(A) project, consisting of 16.076 km, which will further enhance connectivity within the national capital.

The total project cost of Phase-V(A) is Rs 12,014.91 crore, which will be sourced from the Centre, the Delhi government and international funding agencies, the statement said.

"Delhi's infrastructure gets a major boost! Cabinet's approval for three new corridors as part of Delhi Metro's Phase-V(A) Project will expand our capital's metro network, thus boosting 'Ease of Living' and reducing congestion," Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a post on X.

Addressing a press conference, Union minister Ashwini Vaishnaw said the proposed expansion will add 16 more km of Metro line with 13 stations -- 10 underground and three elevated.

The RK Ashram Marg-Indraprastha stretch will be an extension of the Botanical Garden-RK Ashram Marg corridor. It will provide Metro connectivity to the Central Vista area, which is currently under redevelopment.

The Aerocity-IGD Airport Terminal 1 and the Tughlakabad-Kalindi Kunj sections will be extensions of the Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridor and will boost connectivity of the airport with the southern parts of the national capital in areas such as Tughlakabad, Saket and Kalindi Kunj.

After completion, the RK Ashram Marg-Indraprastha corridor will improve connectivity between west, north, Old Delhi and central Delhi, while the other two corridors -- Aerocity-IGD Airport T-1 (2.263 km) and Tughlakabad–Kalindi Kunj (3.9 km) -- will connect south Delhi with the domestic airport Terminal-1 via Saket and Chhatarpur, which will significantly boost connectivity within the national capital.

"These Metro extensions will expand the reach of the Delhi Metro network in central Delhi and the domestic airport, thereby further boosting the economy. These extensions of the Magenta Line and Golden Line will reduce congestion on roads and help reduce pollution caused by motor vehicles," the government said in the statement.

The stations on the Tughlakabad-Kalindi Kunj section will be Sarita Vihar Depot, Madanpur Khadar and Kalindi Kunj, while the Aerocity station will be connected further with the IGD T-1 station.

"Construction of Phase-IV, consisting of 111 km and 83 stations, is underway and, as of today, about 80.43 per cent of civil construction of Phase-IV (three priority) corridors has been completed. The Phase-IV (three priority) corridors are likely to be completed in stages by December 2026," the statement said.

The Delhi Metro caters to an average of 65 lakh passenger journeys per day, the government said, adding that the maximum passenger journeys recorded so far is 81.87 lakh on August 8 this year.

A total of 12 Metro lines of about 395 km with 289 stations are being operated by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in Delhi and the NCR at present.

It is the largest Metro network in India and one of the largest in the world. PTI BUN ARI