New Delhi, 24 December (H.S.): The Central government approved three new corridors for Delhi Metro's Phase-5A on Wednesday, with a total outlay of ₹12,014.91 crore, spanning 16.076 kilometers to enhance connectivity across the national capital.Prime Minister Narendra Modi chaired the Union Cabinet meeting that cleared the ambitious expansion.

Union Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw briefed the media at the National Media Centre, detailing the corridors: R.K. Ashram Marg to Indraprastha (9.913 km), Aerocity to Domestic Airport T-1 (2.263 km), and Tughlakabad to Kalindi Kunj (3.9 km). These will feature 13 stations, including 10 underground and 3 elevated, funded by the Centre, Delhi government, and international agencies.Upon completion, Corridor-1 will seamlessly connect West, North, and Old Delhi to Central Delhi, while the other two will link South Delhi via Saket and Chhatarpur to Domestic Airport Terminal-1.

The R.K. Ashram Marg-Indraprastha section includes stations at R.K. Ashram Marg, Shivaji Stadium, Central Secretariat, Duty Bhawan, India Gate, Somnath Memorial-High Court, Baroda House, Bharat Mandapam, and Indraprastha. Tughlakabad-Kalindi Kunj will serve Sarita Vihar Depot, Madanpur Khadar, and Kalindi Kunj, with Aerocity extending to Domestic-1.

Vaishnaw highlighted that the Central Vista Corridor integration provides door-step connectivity to all Duty Bhawans, benefiting approximately 60,000 daily office-goers and 200,000 visitors. The R.K. Ashram Marg-Indraprastha extends the Botanical Garden-R.K. Ashram Marg line, linking Central Vista to metro networks. Aerocity-IGI Airport T-1 and Tughlakabad-Kalindi Kunj extend the Aerocity-Tughlakabad corridor, bolstering airport access from southern areas like Tughlakabad, Saket, and Kalindi Kunj.

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Hindusthan Samachar / Jun Sarkar