New Delhi

Dilshad Garden metro to be operational on June 4

NEW DELHI: The metro rail reaching Dilshad Garden in East Delhi six months ahead of schedule has raised the hopes of residents in several other parts of the Capital where work related to the expansion of the rail network is currently under way.

Offering a huge relief to travellers by cutting down the commuting time and affording comfortable travel, the Delhi Metro in its second phase will cover 125 km.

After the Dilshad Garden line becomes operational on June 4, the next line to be commissioned will be the Vishwavidyalaya–Jehangirpuri link.

This line, with October 2009 as the target date for completion, will cover 6.36 km crossing Guru Tegh Bahadur Nagar, Model Town, Azadpur, Adarsh Nagar and Jehangirpuri.

Refusing to comment on whether this line too will be ready before the target date, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation spokesman Anuj Dayal said construction work on this segment was moving as per schedule.

“At the moment work is moving as scheduled. We cannot speculate whether the commissioning of this line will also be ahead of the October 2009 deadline,” Mr. Dayal said.

The line, on which work was started in December 2005, will have five stations of which only the GTB Nagar station will be underground. Giving details, Mr. Dayal said: “All the stations on this corridor are designed differently from the other stations. Here they have been built on the central verge and there will be separate gates for entry and exit. Four-lane roads of 14 metres on each side of the station would be constructed.”

Referring to the pace of work on the line, Mr. Dayal said the concourse area and the track slabs are complete for all five stations and the platforms are under construction.

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