Delhi Metro Blue Line: DMRC to start Dwarka Sec 21-IICC section by July 2022

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In a relief to commuters travelling from Noida and Ghaziabad on Blue Line Metro towards Delhi, DMRC will operationalize the two km-long stretch between Dwarka Sector 21 and the upcoming India International Convention Centre (IICC) by July. DMRC chief Vikas Kumar said that the work on the new 2 km stretch is on final stage and he expects the line to be commissioned by July-August.

Located in Sector 25, Dwarka, the IICC will be a modern exhibition-cum-convention centre, with facilities like financial, hospitality and retail services. Dwarka Sector-21 station falls at the end of the long and busy Blue Line. It is also an interchange point for the Airport Line.

"The work on this section is in the final stage, and the new station at IICC, will have entry gates both inside and outside the complex," the DMRC managing director said.

He also said that despite being disrupted by multiple waves of the pandemic, the Delhi Metro is picking pace, and currently the ridership (journeys) stand at about 40-45 lakh, which is 78 percent of the pre-Covid figures.

Journey or line utilisation is calculated by the number of corridors passengers use to reach their destinations. "Work is underway on the three priority corridors of Ph-IV of DMRC, and our target is to finish it by 2025. Deliberations are going on as far as the remaining three corridors of it are concerned," he said.

Under the approved segment of Phase-IV, 65 km of new metro lines will be constructed across three different corridors comprising 45 metro stations. These new sections shall provide inter-connectivity among the already operational lines of the Delhi Metro.

According to the government, the Mukundpur-Maujpur, R K Ashram-Janakpuri West and Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridors were approved by the Cabinet.

With inputs from PTI