PM to inaugurate Delhi Metro's Magenta section on December 25

New Delhi, Dec 18 :  Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the Botanical Garden on the Kalkaji Mandir stretch (Magenta Line) on December 25 after which it will be open for commercial operations, informed sources said on Monday.

Modi will flag off the metro train from Noida, a DMRC official told IANS. 

A part of the Magenta Line (Botanical Garden-Janakpuri West), this section will reduce the travel time of commuters between Botanical Garden and Kalkaji from the existing 52 minutes (Botanical Garden to Mandi House via Blue Line and onwards to Kalkaji on Violet Line) to a direct 19 minutes.

Those going towards Faridabad from Noida will benefit the most with the operation of the section, which will almost halve the travel time to many destinations towards that direction because of Kalkaji Mandir being a junction station with Violet Line (Kashmiri Gate-Escorts Mujeser).

The section had gone under a safety inspection -- considered the last step before the start of the operation -- during November 13 to 15, and was expected to commence operations later that month. 

However, according to informed sources, the inauguration was put on hold due to various bureaucratic reasons, one of them being the selection of a personality to perform the opening.