‘Metro trains running at 120 kmph on Airport Line’

Prime Minister Narendra Modi travels via metro on his way to inaugurate the India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC), in New Delhi on Sunday. Pic/PTI

Delhi Metro has increased the operational speed of Metro trains on the Airport Express Line to 120 kmph starting Sunday, officials said.

The total journey from New Delhi station to newly-built Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector 25 station will take about 21 minutes, they said.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi took a metro ride to reach the new station at Dwarka Sector-25. The train he travelled in moved at 120 kmph, so that was in a way a formal start of services with enhanced speed on the Airport Express Line whose extension was also inaugurated by the PM today," a senior DMRC official said.

Modi later on Sunday also launched the R13,000-crore PM Vishwakarma Yojana (scheme) for traditional artisans and craftsmen, and inaugurated the R5,400-crore first phase of state-of-the art India International Convention and Expo Centre (IICC) - ‘Yashobhoomi' - at Dwarka.

Earlier the travel time between New Delhi and Dwarka Sector 21 was approximately 22 minutes, which now has been reduced to around 19 minutes.

The approximate travel time between New Delhi and Terminal 3 of the Delhi Airport will be about 15 minutes and 30 seconds. Earlier, it was a little more than 18 minutes, the DMRC said.

‘Yashobhoomi' is connected to the Delhi Airport Metro Express line with the inauguration of the new metro station ‘Yashobhoomi Dwarka Sector 25'.

The new Metro station will have three subways - a 735 metre long subway connecting the station to the exhibition halls, convention centre, and central arena; another connecting the entry/exit across Dwarka Expressway; while the third one connecting the Metro station to the foyer of the future exhibition halls of ‘Yashobhoomi'.

With the opening of this section, the total length of the Delhi Metro network has now increased to 393 km with 288 stations, including the Noida-Greater Noida Metro Corridor and the Rapid Metro in Gurugram.

288
No. of stations on the Delhi Metro network

Cheap mentality: AAP minister

Delhi minister Atishi on Sunday rued the fact that Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal was not invited to an event, in which a metro line was inaugurated by Modi.

She said not inviting the Delhi chief minister to an event of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) reflects "cheap mentality" and added that the prime minister should rise above party lines.

Atishi pointed out that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is a 50:50 venture of the Centre and the city government.

"This means half the funds are spent by the city government and the other half by the Centre. But it was not considered important to invite the Delhi chief minister to the event. I want to tell the prime minister that he is the guardian of all the state governments. He should rise above party lines," she said.

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