"First Segment of Delhi Metro Phase-IV to Commence Operations by July 2024"

"Delhi Metro Phase IV Sets Fresh Targets, First Janakpuri West-R K Ashram Marg Section to Open by July 2024"

The Delhi Metro's Phase IV project, which faced delays due to the COVID-19 pandemic, has established new targets, and the Chief of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), Vikas Kumar, has announced plans to inaugurate the first segment of the Janakpuri West-R K Ashram Marg corridor by July 2024.

In an interview with PTI, Kumar disclosed that, in addition to the commissioning of a compact 2.5-3 km section of the Janakpuri West-R K Ashram Marg corridor, the complete Majlis Park-Maujpur corridor is scheduled to open by March 2025.

Kumar highlighted that the construction of Phase IV has introduced several pioneering techniques to the country, including the use of "beam technology-enabled Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs)" to assess strata layers in advance, ensuring a smoother drilling process with minimal surprises.

The Phase IV project, which commenced in December 2019, faced setbacks due to the COVID-19 outbreak in March 2020 in Delhi. As of now, the DMRC is actively engaged in construction on three priority corridors spanning 65.2 km and featuring 45 stations under this project. These corridors include the Janakpuri West-RK Ashram Marg (28.92 km), Majlis Park-Maujpur (12.55 km), which are extensions of the operational Magenta Line and Pink Line, and the Aerocity-Tughlakabad (23.62 km) corridor, known as the 'Silver Line,' connecting the Violet Line and Airport Line.

Kumar informed PTI, "Because of COVID-19, fresh targets were set, and we are on the road for those targets. I can tell you the first section which we are going to open - Janakpuri West to Krishna Park (Extension). That is a small stretch, but we are planning to open it by July 2024. It is about 2.5-3 km in length. The next in line is the whole stretch of Majlis Park-Maujpur by March 2025."

When questioned about the overall percentage of work completed in this phase of the Delhi Metro, the DMRC chief indicated, "Overall about 40 per cent of the work has been done."

Official sources have projected that the full Janakpuri West-R K Ashram Marg corridor and the Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridor are likely to be operational by March 2026.

Originally, the DMRC had set December 2024 as the completion date for the Phase IV project. Kumar clarified that, despite the pandemic-related delays, there haven't been any significant cost overruns.

Addressing the financial health of DMRC, Kumar acknowledged the substantial impact of the pandemic, with losses incurred for two years. The third year witnessed a slight recovery, achieving an operational surplus of around Rs. 50 crore. For the upcoming year, a surplus of approximately Rs. 600 crore is anticipated, indicating a gradual return to normalcy for DMRC.

ET