Work Begins on Central Vista Metro Line to Create 88.4-KM Driverless Corridor
On Wednesday, construction work officially commenced on the new Central Vista Metro corridor, an extension of the Delhi Metro's Magenta Line which connects to Noida's Botanical Garden. The groundbreaking ceremony for the project was held at the Central Secretariat Metro station in Delhi, led by Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar and the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
Once the extension is complete, the Magenta Line will expand to a total length of 88.4 km, making it the longest fully driverless corridor in the DMRC network. Running from Botanical Garden to Inderlok, the expanded line will feature 21 interchange stations to significantly enhance cross-city connectivity across the National Capital Region.
The newly started 9.913-km section will run between R K Ashram Marg and Indraprastha, featuring nine underground stations. These include Shivaji Stadium, Yuge Yugeen Bharat, Central Secretariat, Kartavya Bhawan, India Gate, War Memorial–High Court, Baroda House, Bharat Mandapam, and Indraprastha.
Under this expansion, the Central Secretariat station will be developed near its existing Gate 3. It is set to become a triple interchange station, linking the Magenta Line with the existing Yellow and Violet Lines.
Speaking at the ceremony, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar stated that the corridor will provide a significant facility to the national capital, the Central Vista, and its employees. According to an assessment by the Central government, the new corridor is expected to benefit approximately 60,000 office-goers and 200,000 visitors daily, particularly government employees working in the Lutyens' Zone and surrounding administrative districts.
The corridor is one of three routes cleared under the Delhi Metro's Phase-V(A) project, which spans 16.07 km with an estimated investment of around Rs 12,000 crore. Approved by the central government in December last year, the project is funded jointly by the Centre, the Delhi government, and the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA).
Last month, the DMRC floated a tender for the design and planning of four proposed underground stations along the corridor, including the second stations at Central Secretariat, Shivaji Stadium, Yuge Yugeen Bharat, and a new station at Kartavya Bhawan.
