Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is already connecting the dots for its fourth phase of expansion in the capital. Phase IV, which has got in-principle approval of the Delhi government, will have six corridors, of which one will connect Phase III and Phase II lines.
Among them, the planned Janakpuri (West) to RK Ashram corridor will be a link between not only the two Phase III corridors, currently under completion, but also the Phase II Blue Line system. This 28.92-km-long corridor will have 25 stations and will connect the two existing corridors lying parallel to the Ring Road and Outer Ring Road: Janakpuri (West) to Botanical Garden and Majlis Park to Shiv Vihar. These are being constructuted in the ongoing Phase III. In Phase IV, the Janakpuri (West) station will turn it into an interchange point. The line will go to the Majlis Park station. This will complete a ring comprising the two corridors.
Besides providing easier connectivity among the various corridors, this Phase IV line, with its nine interchange stations, will effectively link vast tracts of the city. Importantly, it will provide access to the Blue Line, which runs from Dwarka Sector 21 to Noida City Centre, with a branching off to Vaishali.
The Janakpuri (West)-RK Ashram line will have stations beyond Mukundpur/Majlis Park, going to places like Azadpur, Ashok Vihar, Derawal Nagar, Rajpura, Pulbangash, Sadar Bazar, Motia Khan and RK Ashram Marg. Azadpur, Pulbangash and RK Ashram stations are already in the Delhi Metro network. While Azadpur is part of the Yellow Line (HUDA City Centre-Samaypur Badli), Pulbangash is a station on the Red Line (Rithala-Dilshad Garden). The RK Ashram station is on the Blue Line.
Delhi government officials said that the project had been granted in-principle approval. The state government, however, needs to give the project the final approval, following which the plans for Phase IV will be forwarded to the central government for clearance. Both the Centre and the Delhi governments are joint partners in the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, which is constructing and running the metro system. Once approvals come in, the modalities for the funding will have to be determined too. Sources said that the initial plan is to start work on the project by 2018. “However, until the approvals come through, Phase IV is only on paper,” said one official.