"Delhi's Rithala-Narela Metro Corridor to Extend into Haryana"

Delhi Transport Minister Kailash Gahlot announced recently that the Rithala-Narela metro corridor will be extended to Kundli-Nathupur in Haryana. The Delhi government has approved the extension in principle and will soon submit the proposal to the Centre to move forward to the tendering phase.

The extended corridor will span a total of 23.73 kilometers, with 2.72 kilometers in Haryana. It will include 19 stations between Rithala and Narela, plus two additional stations in Haryana. The project is expected to cost approximately ₹6,230.99 crore and be completed within four years.

Gahlot highlighted that the extension will link rural areas along the Delhi-Haryana border to the city, providing a crucial alternative to the currently available bus services. This will enable commuters from these regions to reach central Delhi in about an hour and a half.

"This extension will benefit not only the residents of Kundli and Nathupur but also people from surrounding villages," Gahlot said.

The Rithala-Narela-Nathupur corridor is part of Delhi Metro's Phase-4 expansion, which includes six other corridors: Mukundpur (Majlis Park)-Maujpur, Aerocity-Tughlakabad, Janakpuri West-RK Ashram, Lajpat Nagar-Saket G Block, Inderlok-Indraprastha, and Rithala-Narela-Nathupur.

Gahlot also noted that under Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal's leadership, the expansion of the metro network aims to reduce travel time, alleviate road congestion, and promote public transport usage, contributing to efforts to combat pollution.

He expressed hope that Kejriwal, who has been in prison since March in connection with the alleged excise policy scam, would be granted bail soon. The Supreme Court is set to hear Kejriwal’s bail pleas on Thursday.

ET