New Delhi: The deadline for launch of metro's Magenta Line, connecting west Delhi to Noida via IGI Airport, has been pushed to December while the ITO-Kashmere Gate 'Heritage Corridor' is likely to be thrown open in March.
Magenta Line, where trial runs are underway in stretches, had missed its December-2016 deadline mainly due to delay in completion of train depots and encroachment in few areas, a DMRC official said.
A small section of the line (Line 8), running between Noida, Botanical Garden and Kalkaji, may be opened a month or two after March, before its launch in entirety in December, an official said.
"Progress of civil works upto December 2016 is 95.97 percent. Train trials between Botanical Garden to Kalkaji have already started from 27.10.2016. The line is targeted for completion in December 2017," according to the progress report prepared by DMRC.
However, metro has not set any deadline for the completion of the 59-km-long Pink Line, the longest upcoming corridor under Phase III, as it remains beset by unavailability of land in few pockets.
Pink Line or Line 7, built parallel to the arterial ring road of the national capital, will connect Majlis Park to Shiv Vihar. Once operational, it will considerably reduce the travel time between east and south Delhi.
On Line 7, train trials between Majlis Park to Mayapuri are now planned in April and between Mayapuri to Lajpat Nagar by July, an official said.
"Progress of civil works upto December 2016 is 89.66 per cent. Land at few locations is still not available. The targets will be worked out when these land pockets are available," the progress report says about this line.
DMRC chief Mangu Singh had earlier said that both these lines, part of Metro's Phase III expansion, will be launched in a staggered manner, meaning small sections will be made operational instead of the entire corridors being thrown open in one go.
Under the phase-III expansion project being implemented at a cost of around Rs 40,000 crore, a total of 140 km of network will be added to current coverage of 213 km.
