New Delhi:
The over 4.2 km-long Grey Line of the Delhi Metro, connecting the urban village area of Najafgarh to the rapid transit network for the first time, was opened for passengers on Friday evening.
Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal flagged off a train on the corridor in the morning.
The corridor consists of three stations– Dwarka (interchange with Blue Line), Nangli and Najafgarh. The Najafgarh station will be the longest stand-alone underground station in the Delhi metro network.
“The first section of Delhi Metro opened in 2002 and in 17 years, Delhi Metro has expanded to 377 km in Delhi-NCR. It is one of the most comprehensive and in terms of distance covered, one of the most successful urban transport systems in the world,” Puri said at the flagging-off ceremony at Metro Bhawan.
Kejriwal said the Delhi metro had played a significant role in the development and progress of the national capital as a city.
“Delhi is one of the only two-three cities in the entire world to have such a large metro network, and I am glad Delhi metro network has been added to the list of the largest metro networks in the world,” the chief minister said.
After the event, Kejriwal said that no other government had developed rural Delhi and outer Delhi as much as his the AAP government.
“The wait of years of Najafgarh people has ended. Now you can reach any corner of Delhi within one hour. The people of rural Delhi were disappointed that the previous governments did nothing for them.
“But now they are very happy. No other government has developed rural Delhi as much as my government,” Kejriwal tweeted in Hindi.
Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot, West Delhi BJP MP Parvesh Sahib Singh, Delhi and Japan’s Ambassador to India Kenji Hiramatsu were also present at event.
“It is a historic day as many colonies and villages in Najafgarh as well as Matiala will be benefitted by this connectivity.
“This section is being expanded up to Dhansa Bus Stand because of which many more villages till the border of Haryana will come under the metro network,” Gahlot said.
Hiramatsu said, “Japan is proud of partnering with Delhi Metro both technically and financially. Japan is also supporting the other metro projects in India based on the success of Delhi Metro.”
The West Delhi MP commended the efforts made by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) towards pollution control and Swachh Bharat Mission, and said that Delhi Metro was generating about one third of its energy needs through renewable power sources.
