Extensions for Last Mile Connectivity: DMRC Phase 4&5

Introduction

Phase IV of the Delhi Metro is a network expansion to new housing areas in the National Capital Region. The fourth phase of the Delhi Metro will include six additional routes that would connect to a few prominent locations in West Delhi and Faridabad. In March 2019, the central government approved three routes as part of the project, totalling 61.679 kilometers: Tughlakabad to Aerocity, Janakpuri West to RK Ashram, and Maujpur to Mukundpur.

The Delhi government approved the long-awaited Phase 4 of the Delhi Metro in December 2018. Six corridors were approved during a cabinet meeting presided by Chief Minister Mr. Arvind Kejriwal. Following that, on March 7, 2019, the union cabinet approved three ‘priority corridors’ out of six corridors of Metro’s Phase 4.

• Total length of approved ‘Priority Corridors’: 61.679 km 
• Estimated project cost: Rs 24,948.65 crore
• Total length of six corridors: 103.93 km
• Total Estimated Project Cost: Rs 45,000 crore
• Expected Ridership: 1.5 million passengers per day
• Expected completion date: December, 2024

The three corridors will include 17 underground and 29 elevated stations, with a total length of 61.679 km – 22.359 km underground and 39.320 km elevated. The Tughlakabad-Aerocity Metro line will run beneath 17 active railway lines. The railway lines will be around 110 meters long. The Indian Railways has given its approval to the DMRC. According to officials, the planned metro line will be around 23 meters below the rail level. There will be a 15-metre gap between the railway tracks and the Metro tunnel below. This stretch of railway is part of the Delhi-Palwal railway route.

To link to the projected Tughlakabad-Aerocity line, an underground interchange station will be developed soon on the Delhi Metro Yellow Line, at the Chhatarpur Metro station (from Samaypur Badli to Huda City Centre).

While the current Chhatarpur metro station is elevated, the subsequent station will be underground, and a subway will be constructed to connect the two stations.

Phase V

The Delhi Metro Phase V project is currently on hold. In 2016, Mangu Singh, the then Managing Director of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), stated that Phase 4 would most likely be the final phase of the Delhi Metro network’s development. The MD stated in 2019 that the DMRC will make a decision on it midway through Phase 4 development.

However, plans change all the time. By the time Phase 4 construction is completed in 2025, there is a good chance that new lines will be proposed for development within Delhi’s core and the National Capital Region to densify the network and connect new places within Noida, Gurgaon, Faridabad, Ghaziabad, Loni, Sonipat, Rohtak, and so on

• Estimated Cost: N/A (Pending Route Finalization & Approval)
• DMRC’s Phase 5 Deadline: Not Finalized (Pending Route Finalization & Approval)
• Completion Estimate: 2032 (no sooner, if approved by the state government in 2025)

Conclusion

In July 2015, the routes for the Delhi Metro Phase 4 project’s six lines totalling 103.93 kilometers within Delhi’s limits, were finalised. On March 7, 2019, the Central Government approved the construction of 61.679 kilometers spanning three lines (priority corridors) with 45 stations. In October 2020, the Silver Line’s length was increased, making the entire project 65.1 kilometres long. Tendering for civil construction on Phase 4 commenced in June 2019, with piling work on Line-8’s extension beginning on December 30, 2019, at Haiderpur-Badli Mor Station.

DMRC began the tendering process for the project’s subsystems in December 2020, which will be funded by the Japan International Cooperation Agency. (JICA). DMRC intends to purchase 288 new coaches to serve all three lines in this phase. The Priority Corridors of Delhi Metro Phase 4 are projected to be completed and opened in June 2026, considerably later than the planned schedule of December 31, 2024.

• DMRC’s Deadline: December 31, 2024 (Priority Corridors)
• Completion Estimate: 2026 (Priority Corridors)
• Estimated Project Cost: Rs. 24,948.65 cr
• Revised Funding Pattern (December 2019): Central Government (GOI) Rs. 4,643.638 cr, Delhi Government (GNCTD) & other sources Rs. 7,374.098 cr and External Loan: Rs. 12,930.914 cr

Phase – IV

Approved New Lines

Line 10 (Silver Line): Aerocity – Tughlakabad

• Length: 23.622 km
• Type: Elevated (4.279 km) & Underground (19.343 km)
• Depot: Sarita Vihar (shared with Violet Line) & possibly Vasant Kunj
• Number of Stations: Sixteen
• Stations: Aerocity, Mahipalpur, Vasant Kunj, Kishangarh, Chhatarpur, Chhattarpur Mandir, IGNOU, Neb Sarai, Saket G-Block, Ambedkar Nagar, Khanpur, Sangam Vihar, Maa Anandmayee Marg Junction, Tughlakabad Railway Colony (Pul Prahaladpur) and Tughlakabad

Approved Extensions

Line 7 (Pink Line): Mukundpur – Maujpur

• Length: 12.558 km
• Type: Elevated (12.58 km)
• Number of Stations: Eight
• Stations: Burari Crossing, Jagatpur Village, Surghat, Khajuri Khas, Bhajanpura, Yamuna Vihar and Maujpur

Line 8 (Magenta Line): Janakpuri West – R.K. Ashram (28.92 km)

• Length: 28.92 km
• Type: Elevated (21.18 km) & Underground (7.74 km)
• Number of Stations: 22
• Station Names: Krishna Park Extn, Keshopur, Paschim Vihar, Peeragarhi, Mangol Puri, West Enclave, Pushpanjali, Deepali Chowk, Madhuban Chowk, Prashant Vihar, North Pitampura, Haiderpur Badli Mor, Bhalaswa, Majlis Park, Azadpur & Ashok Vihar, Derawal Nagar, Rajpura, GG Sabji Mandi, Pulbangash, Sadar Bazar, Nabi Karim and RK Ashram Marg

Lines/Extensions (Approval Pending)

Line 1 (Red Line): Rithala – Narela

• Length: 21.73 km
• Type: Elevated
• Number of Stations: 15
• Stations: Rohini Sector 26, Rohini Sector 31, Rohini Sector 32, Rohini Sector 36, Rohini Sector 37, Barwala, Put Khurd, Bawana Industrial Area – 1, Bawana Industrial Area – 2, Bawana, Bawana JJ Colony, Sanpath, New Sanath Colony, Anaj Mandi and Narela

This corridor might be built as a Metrolite line

Line 1 (Red Line) Narela – Kundli

• Length: 4.86 km
• Type: Elevated
• Number of Stations: Three
• Stations: Narela Sector 5, Kundli and Nathupur

The Haryana Government’s Cabinet approved this extension to Kundli (Sonepat district) in 2017. The approval and construction of the Rithala-Narela extension are required for this to be built.

Line 3 (Blue Line): Noida Sector-62 (Electronics City) – Sahibabad

• Length: 5.11 km
• Type: Elevated
• Number of Stations: Five
• Stations Names: Vaibhav Khand, Indirapuram, Shakti Khand, Vasundhra Sector 5, Sahibabad (interchange)

In January 2020, the DPR was submitted to the Uttar Pradesh government for approval.

Line 4 (Blue Line): Vaishali – Mohan Nagar

• Length: 5.06 km
• Type: Elevated
• Number of Stations: Four
• Stations: Prahlad Garhi, Vasundhara Sector 14, Sahibabad (interchange), Mohan Nagar (new station building will connect with Red Line’s Mohan Nagar Station)

In January 2020, the DPR was submitted to the Uttar Pradesh government for approval.

Line 10 (Silver Line): Lajpat Nagar – Saket G-Block

• Length: 7.96 km
• Type: Elevated & Underground
• Number of Stations: Six
• Stations: Saket-G Block, Pushp Vihar, Saket District Court, Sheikh Sarai, GK1, Andrews Ganj and Lajpat Nagar

Line 11: Inderlok – Indraprastha

• Length: 12.58 km
• Type: Underground
• Number of Stations: Ten
• Stations: Inderlok, Dayabasti, Sarai Rohilla, Ahmal Khan Park, Nabi Karim, New Delhi Railway Station, LNJP Hospital, Delhi Gate, IG Stadium and Indraprastha

The Delhi Metro’s Phase IV is intended to provide last-mile connectivity to the National Capital Region’s (NCR) new housing clusters. Initially, the completion date was slated for 2022, with work on the project set to begin in 2017. However, the project had significant setbacks. Work on Phase 4 eventually commenced on December 30, 2019, with a ground-breaking ceremony at Haider Badli Mor for piling work for stations along the Janakpuri West-RK Ashram Marg line. When completed, the 104-km Delhi Metro Phase 4 network is planned to carry 1.5 million passengers per day. The route is scheduled to be completed by December 2024; however, it may be delayed due to initial pushbacks. The Delhi Metro Phase IV project comprises three approved extensions totalling 65 kilometers: Maujpur to Majlis Park, Janakpuri West to RK Ashram, and Tughlakabad to Aerocity.

Due to the pandemic, construction work on the three corridors of Phase IV, namely Inderlok-Indraprastha, Rithala-Bawana, and Lajpat Nagar-Saket, has been delayed. However, development on Maujpur-Majlis Park, as well as other Metro Phase IV corridors such as Janakpuri West-RK Ashram and Aerocity-Tughlaqabad, is now underway. The stretch between Maujpur and Majlis Park is likely to be completed first. According to a top DMRC official, the Maujpur-Majlis Park line will be completed ‘on time’ by November 2024. 

The Lajpat Nagar-Saket stretch will be the shortest corridor in Phase IV, connecting the Magenta Line (which connects Botanical Garden to Janakpuri West) and the Pink Line, as well as Delhi’s upcoming metro line from Tughlaqabad to Aerocity. The Centre’s Project Investment Board, under the Ministry of Finance, recently approved three Delhi Metro Phase IV upcoming projects, namely the Rithala to Narela metro route (22.91 kms), the Lajpat Nagar – Saket G-Block (8.38 kms), and the Inderlok – Indraprastha (12.37 kms) spanning over 40 kms. It is projected that the overall cost will be around Rs 12,586 crore. The proposal is submitted to the union cabinet for approval.

Work on the underground segment of the Delhi Metro Phase 4 Aerocity-Tughlaqabad Silver Line corridor shall commence soon by DMRC. Tughlaqabad will function as an interchange station. The stretch is expected to be made operational by 2025. The 23.6-kilometer line will connect to the Violet line, which runs from Kashmere Gate to Raja Nahar Singh. To connect the erstwhile station at Tughlakabad to the proposed interchange station, a 100-metre subway has been planned to be built. Adhering to approval from Japan’s international agency, tenders were awarded in March 2022. Once commenced, the silver line metro corridor will connect commuters in the far-flung area of Faridabad in Haryana and save time through the Tughlakabad interchange station, as well as reduce travel time to domestic and international airport terminals via the Airport Express Line to around 90 minutes.