Mayur Vihar metro link to Lajpat Nagar to open on December 31

Delhi Metro’s 9.7-km long Lajpat Nagar-Mayur Vihar Pocket 1 corridor on the Pink Line will be opened for the public on December 31.

With this, all 38 stations on the Pink Line (Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar) will be operational, even as the link between Mayur Vihar Pocket 1 and Trilokpuri remains incomplete pending construction of a viaduct between the two stations. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) says they aim to finish work on this viaduct by the end of next month.

With Monday’s opening, the congested Ashram Chowk will be connected to the Metro network. The underground station is expected to take the load off the busy Ring Road and Mathura road. At present, the intersection remains one of the most congested areas in the city with a daily traffic volume of 4.29 lakh vehicles.

“The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) has given the mandatory approval for the commencement of passenger operations on the Lajpat Nagar - Mayur Vihar Pocket 1 section of the Pink Line. The CMRS had conducted an inspection of the section on Monday, “ a metro spokesperson said.

In a statement, DMRC said this extension will be formally flagged off by the minister of state (Independent Charge) Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia at 11 am on December 31. Passenger services will commence on this section on the same day from 4 pm, it read.

The five stations that will be opened on Monday are -- Lajpat Nagar, Vinobapuri, Ashram, Hazrat Nizamuddin, Mayur Vihar Ph-I and Mayur Vihar Pocket-1. While the first three will be underground stations the two Mayur Vihar stations will be elevated.

“Only a 255-metre ling viaduct between two stations - Mayur Vihar Pocket-1 and Trilokpuri – is left for construction on the Pink Line. So, one can travel from Majlis Park to Mayur Vihar Pocket-1 and then from Trlokpuri to Shiv Vihar,” a metro official said.