(Pics) Delhi Metro’s 21.565 km Pink Line (Line-7) Inaugurated
Say hello to Delhi’s 9th new metro line!
Less than an hour ago, Delhi’s Chief Minister and Union Minister of State for Housing & Urban Affairs inaugurated the 21.565 km Majlis Park – Durgabai Deshmukh South Campus section of Delhi Metro’s new 58.59 km Pink Line (Line-7) at an off-site event held at the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation’s headquarters.
The line’s inauguration event was short & simple, and started with an inaugural train getting flagged off right away from Majlis Park towards South Campus. Here’s a detailed schedule that was supposed to be followed –
The Pink Line is equipped with Bombardier Transportation’s CITYFLO 650 communications-based train control (CBTC) signalling solution which enables Delhi’s new Hyundai Rotem trains to be operated on both the unattended “driverless” and automatic train operating (UTO and ATO) modes. All stations are equipped with platform screen doors for rider safety and have been built as green buildings with specific provisions for the conservation of energy as well as better CO2 saving, water saving and waste management arrangements – see more on that here.
This stretch of the 162.5 km Phase 3 project was built by 7 different contractors including Larsen & Toubro, HCC & J Kumar Infraprojects. A brief high level history of the line’s construction from tendering to tunneling, with images of all 12 TBM breakthroughs and 4 steel truss bridges, can be viewed here.
This section features 12 stations at Majlis Park, Azadpur (interchange with Yellow Line), Shalimar Bagh, Netaji Subhash Place (interchange with Red Line), Shakurpur, Punjabi Bagh West, ESI Hospital, Rajouri Garden (interchange with Blue Line), Mayapuri, Naraina Vihar, Delhi Cantonment and South Campus. DMRC plans to connect the South Campus Station to the Airport Express Line’s Dhaula Kuan Station via a 920m walkway by June, but that won’t provide concourse-concourse connectivity for easy transfers.
21.5 km Majlis Park – South Campus section – view Delhi Metro Phase 3 map & info
Images of many stations’ interiors can be viewed here.
DMRC plans to initially operate 19 trains on this stretch with a headway of 3 minutes 28 seconds between South Campus and Shakurpur stations during peak time and 4 minutes during off-peak hours. Between Shakurpur and Majlis Park stations, trains will run with a headway of 5 minutes 12 seconds during peak time and 6 minutes during off-peak hours.
End to end, the journey is expected to take 34 minutes to cover and will significantly bring down travel time and cost. For example – Samaypur Badli to Janakpuri West will now cost Rs. 40 (Yellow-Pink-Blue) instead of Rs. 60 (Yellow-Blue). Similarly, Azadpur to Rithala will now cost Rs. 30 (Yellow-Pink-Red) instead of Rs. 50 (Yellow-Red). When it comes to saving time – a journey from, say, Rajouri Garden to Azadpur will now take 17 minutes (Pink) instead of 47 minutes (Blue-Yellow). Likewise, a journey from Dwarka Sector 21 to Samaypur Badli will now take 74 minutes (Blue-Pink-Yellow) instead of 94 minutes (Blue-Yellow).
Some images of the inauguration event –
Photo Copyright: Faizan Haider
Majlis Park Station’s staff with the inaugural train – Photo Copyright: Jogendrajit Moirangthem
Flagged off! Photo Copyright: Harsh Vardhan
Videos –
Union Housing and Urban Affair Minister @HardeepSPuri and Delhi Chief Minister @ArvindKejriwal inaugurates the stretch between Majlis Park-South Campus of #PinkLine of #DelhiMetro pic.twitter.com/6UsHf05hTd
— Doordarshan News (@DDNewsLive) March 14, 2018
Inaugural train leaving from Majlis Park towards South Campus:
Video – #Delhi Metro Pink Line’s inaugural train (TS #716) leaving from Majlis Park Station towards South Campus after getting flagged off remotely – pic.twitter.com/70z8SDOVIa
— The Metro Rail Guy (@TheMetroRailGuy) March 14, 2018
The line will open to riders at 6 pm. I’ll add more images here later during the day. In the meanwhile, enjoy this really cool image shot during service trials at the line’s roller-coasteresque hump at Dhaula Kuan –
Photo Copyright: HT
Update – The line is now open. Here are some images –
One of South Campus’ entry/exit structures lit up for the ocassion – Photo Copyright: Sweta Goswami
Naraina Vihar Station – Photo Copyright: Goutam Mishra
Photo Copyright: Goutam Mishra
Photo Copyright: Shivam Trivedi
Photo Copyright: Shivam Trivedi
With this development, Delhi Metro’s network has become 252.5 km long with 182 stations of which 15 provide interchange connectivity. The highest point in the network is now located at Dhaula Kuan where the Pink Line’s viaduct has been built 23.6m above SP Road in order to safely pass over the Airport Express Line’s viaduct. That’s one figure which I’m not too proud of; I would have taken a proper & closer interchange facility here any day over what’s been built.
252.5 km Delhi Metro network – view on Google Maps
For more updates, check out the Delhi section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
Hi TMRG,
You’re really doing a lovely job with this beautiful coverage.
Just wanted to know what is the tentative date for rest of the Magenta Line to be thrown open.
Thanks! Opening schedule depends on the completion of signalling tests & finishing works – give it another 1-3 months. I’ll write about it whenever DMRC makes an announcement.
Would just like to thank TMRG for all this spectacular info…data, updates, pics. .and what not! I , like many really, really appreciate your efforts. ( Slow claps) – been following this site for quite a while now, but this is my first comment. Thankyoy, again.
Cheers – glad you liked it.
Man I’m buying you a round of beer. Well deserved!
Thanks for supporting the site! 🙂
Hello TMRG,
Thanks for this detailed, clear and cheerfully written article about the Pink line.
Similar to London underground will there be any planned lines in delhi metro which will run parallel to each other eg: In London tube, Circle line(yellow) and District line(green) runs parallel from ‘Gloucester Road’ to ‘Tower Hill’ ?
Hi, not quite. Metro systems India are still in their infancy and right now the goal of most is to expand reach rather than to densify the network.
Even in Delhi where the system is large and in a somewhat mature stage, planners due to fund constraints would rather connect new catchment areas than build a new duplicate parallel line to serve stations already being served. Example – between Central Secretariat and Kashmere Gate, the Yellow Line cuts through Old Delhi but the Violet Line takes a semi-circular route to skirt around Old Delhi.
There’s just one instance of duplication in Delhi – between Anand Vihar and Karkardooma stations. Both are serviced by the Blue Line and soon will be by the Pink Line as there just wasn’t any other clear path available to easily complete its ring structure.
Actually isn’t Dwarka-Noida City Center and Dwarka-Vaishali just that because overlapping routes usually share tracks, they don’t necessarily have to have their own set of tracks. However, I do agree indian metro plans need to first spread before they densify the service.
I do think phase 4 is kind of increasing the network density in center of the city, but I wish Aqua line was an extension of Green line from Inderlok than a whole new line.
That pic below the second video..looks like metro coming from the sky..great work by DMRC and great coverage by TMRG.
Cheers mate. Did you get a chance to ride the new line?
I just did today.. the trains and stations are wonderful. However, there was a technical glitch and the journey was delayed by 15-20 minutues. Otherwise, very good. Will become great when it will open till mayur vihar.
Hi,TMRG
I love your work and appreciate that.Being a delhihite i thank to you for this contribution for updating us
Hey TMRG, great job by you as always!
TMRG has given a good coverage . Congrats.
Just waiting for news of Magenta line.
TMRG…there is an error in the article regarding the price comparison of travel between azadpur and rithala.
Exactly.. the fare is supposed to reduce.
oooops! Just corrected it.
Dear TMRG, thanks for your constant updates.
Can you please tell us will Delhi Metro phase 4’s current proposed routes will ever see the light of day?
when will entire yellow line start????
(Samaypur Badli to Siraspur)
When will start entire magenta line ???
As per today’s navbharat times, now entire magenta line will get open by next 2 months in one go rather than earlier plan to open janakpuri-igd section; this is totally shit approach of DMRC.
DMRC has updated their maps on the Influence Zone section – now the Dhansa extension is showing, and also the Lajpat Nagar – Saket line now is a separate line continuing on to Chattarpur! Any news on what’s happening there – is this a response to the Delhi Government’s questioning of the Tughlakabad-Airport line?
Thanks for the update on Chhaterpur line, Garudha. It is unfortunate that TMRG has not posted any updates on the main page for quite a long time which used to be my nodal site for metro updates. There as a lot of confusion there. DMRC has conducted geotechnical survey on Ignou Road as well MB road. Earlier it was planned tughlakabad – terminal 1 line will go along MB road uptill saket G block and then take a turn towards IGNOU Road with the same alignment as shown in recent extension of Lajpat Nagar – Saket line. This will interchange with Yellow line at Chatterpur and proceed to Terminal 1 via Vasant Kunj. Later the changed the alignment towards Lado sarai giving interchange at Saket for Yellow line. And proposed another line Lajpat Nagar- Saket Section. However Delhi Govt has reservations about financial viablity of Tughlakabad- Terminal 1 line. Now, assuming that the reservation of both are honoured and Tughlaqabad – Terminal 1 line is dropped for now and the work on Lajpat Nagar – Chhaterpur line is started, Would it be a wise decision??.
Dear TMRG, when will the rest of the pink line be inaugurated? Please tell me the present status of this line. Thank You.
Dear tmrg, when will the interchange between orange and pink line open?
Location of Mahipalpur Metro Station