Delhi Metro expanded 1.5 times faster under AAP government: CM Atishi

The Metro train network in Delhi has expanded one and half times faster as compared to 10 years of AAP government, chief minister Atishi said on Sunday and added that work on Lajpat Nagar-Saket and Indraprastha-Inder Lok lines will begin soon.

The chief minister visited first set of trains of Phase IV of the Delhi Metro at Mukundpur depot earlier in the day.

Addressing a press conference, she said these driverless trains are among the most sophisticated in the world and will become operational within the in next three to four months.

With the expansion of Metro network, the daily ridership of the train service has increased from 24 lakh in 2014 to 60 lakh in the current year. A record was set on Monday when Metro ridership soared to 78 lakh commuters, she said.

"Under the leadership of Arvind Kejriwal, the Metro expansion has been 1.5 times faster in last 10 years as compared to pre-2014 years," she said.

Since the beginning of work in 1998 to 2014, a total 193 kms of lines were constructed. After the AAP came to power, the network expanded by 200 Kms in 2014-2024, the chief minister said.

The number of Metro stations in 2014 was 143 that has now gone up to 288, she added.

Currently, construction is underway on three Phase IV lines -- Tuhalaqabad-Aerocity, RK Ashram-Janakpuri West, and Mukundpur-Maujpur Ext. The tendering process for two other lines- Lajpat Nagar to Saket and Indraprastha to Inder Lok is in progress and the work will begin soon, she said.

The chief minister said that the the Metro network expansion has not only given boost to the economy of the city but also helped in checking pollution.