New Delhi Metro corridor will de-congest Kashmere Gate, Rajiv Chowk, and Central Secretariat stations.
Connectivity to the bustling Old Delhi, which traces its roots back to the 17th century Mughal-era, is set to get a boost as Delhi Metro's Heritage Corridor began trial run on Wednesday.
The trial run on the 5.1-km-long section, an extension of the Violet Line, was launched at the Delhi Gate station during an event attended by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) chief Mangu Singh and Chief Secretary K K Sharma.
Mr Singh said the "most challenging" task was to carry out construction in narrow pockets of the walled city, and to overcome that DMRC had to go for "out-of-the-book solutions".
The line, which will have three stations, is expected to begin operations by November.
Mr Singh claimed that 95 per cent of the work relating to the construction of viaducts and tunnels on Phase III has been completed although issues remain in few patches like the one involving acquisition of land at Trilokpuri.
"Delays in obtaining clearance from ASI and National Monument Association delayed construction and engineering complications added to the eight-month-long delay in beginning the trial run," DMRC chief spokesman Anuj Dayal said.
This entirely underground section, an extension of the currently operational Escorts Mujesar (Faridabad) - ITO corridor, will comprise of four stations - Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid, Lal Quila and Kashmere Gate.
After the commercial launch of the line, Kashmere Gate will become the only station in the entire network to have three interchanges, as it is already an interchange point for Line 1 (Red Line) and Line 2 (Yellow Line).
"The Kashmere Gate station will play a very important role in Multi-Modal Integration of various transport systems as it is very close to ISBT. In near future it will have the highest ridership," a metro official said.
The section will help de-congest Kashmere Gate, Rajiv Chowk, and Central Secretariat stations by providing alternative routes to commuters.
After the commissioning of this section, residents of Faridabad and south Delhi areas such as Govindpuri, Kalkaji, Nehru Place and East of Kailash will be able to travel directly to Old Delhi.
As the corridor passes through areas of historical importance, the stations have been decorated with panels and artworks depicting the glory of the era bygone.