33 Cool Delhi Metro Facts To Know Before You Board The Train!

The Delhi metro was the second metro railway route to be built in India, after the Kolkata metro.

The Delhi metro provides one of the best facilities and technologies as the trains can be operated with very less management from the train operators. The minimal interference of the train operators provides the functionality of the metro that guarantees safety to its passengers.

There are multiple DMRC stations stretched over the Delhi metro route. Interestingly, none of these DMRC stations have dustbins except for in their restaurants.

Despite this, the stations can be seen in a clean state throughout the year. If these Delhi metro facts interest you, this article will get you hooked on many more facts on the metro's history, routes, and advantages!

History Of The Delhi Metro

The Delhi metro was commenced on December 25, 2002. Construction for the same began four years before this, in 1998. This construction was influenced by a study that was carried out in the year 1969.

This study dealt with the characteristics of the travel and traffic departments. Several government departments were employed to look into route alignment, technology, and government jurisdiction of the Delhi metro train. Here are some important milestones in the history of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

The Urban Arts Commission, in 1984, proposed a transport system with multiple modes. This would include underground metro stations, as well as elevated metro stations.

Between the period from 1981 to 1998, the number of vehicles on Delhi's roads increased five times.

In 1992, the government tried to privatize public buses. However, due to the employment of inexperienced drivers, this measure led to a lot of road accidents.

As a method of damage control, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation was founded by the Government of India along with the Delhi government.

On May 3, 1995, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation or the DMRC got registered under the Companies Act of 1956.

The construction work on the Delhi Metro and the Delhi metro stations officially began on October 1, 1998.

The first route of the Delhi metro was the red line.

It was inaugurated on December 24, 2002, by Atal Bihari Vajpayee.

The first metro service-connected Shahdara to Tis Hazari.

In 2005, 40 mi (64 km) worth of metro routes was built. This was constructed 31 months before the stipulated time.

In 2004, with the commencement of the Kashmere Gate, Vishwavidyalaya route of the yellow line, Delhi became the second city in India to have an underground rapid transit system in India.

The first phase of the Delhi metro network was completed in 2006.

The red line, the blue line, and the yellow line were the first ones to be built. There were overall 59 stations.

The second phase of the Delhi metro network was open to the public on June 4, 2008.

Phase II introduced the green line, the orange line, and the violet line.

Construction of the third phase of the Delhi metro stations began in 2011.

It was in 2021 that phase III of the Delhi Metro trains was completed.

The pink line, the grey line, and the magenta line was built during this phase.

Delhi Metro Routes

At present, the Delhi metro train has 10 different routes or lines. All the lines are named after colors. The first line was the red line, and the latest one is the grey line.

The orange line is still incomplete. It was estimated to be completed between 2020-2021, but due to the pandemic, this construction has been delayed. Here are some details about each of the Delhi metro lines or routes.

Red line: This was the first metro route to be built in Delhi. This line is also known as line one, and it connects the New Bus Adda or Shaheed Sthal of East Delhi to Rithala in West Delhi.

Yellow line: Also known as line two, it stretches from Gurugram's HUDA City Centre to Samaypur Badli. This line connects with the red and violet line at the Kashmere Gate station, the pink line at INA and Azadpur, the blue line at Rajiv Chowk station, the orange line at New Delhi station and the magenta line at Hauz Khas.

The violet line also connects to this line at the Central Secretariat station.

Blue line: The blue line metro is also known as lines three and four. This metro line has some underground stations and some elevated ones. At one end of this route is Dwarka Sub City. On the other end, the line bifurcates with one route heading to Vaishali while the other one is destined for Noida City Centre.

Green line: This is the fifth line in the network of the Delhi metro. This line was the first one that was built on a standard gauge instead of the broad gauge as was seen in previous metro lines.

Violet line: The violet line or the sixth line passes through Faridabad and connects Kashmere Gate to Raja Nahar Singh. This line includes a bridge in its route, which passes over the mainlines of the Indian Railways.

Orange line: This is also known as the airport express link or the airport express line. The metro services of this line connect the New Delhi Railway Station to Dwarka Sector 21.

Pink line: This is the seventh line in the Delhi metro route and also the longest. It connects Shiv Vihar to Majlis Park. There is a total of 38 stations on this route.

Magenta line: Also known as line eight, this was the first metro route of phase III of the Delhi Metro network. It has 25 metro stations connecting Botanical Garden to Janakpuri West.

Grey line: This is the ninth line of the Delhi metro and also the shortest one when it comes to the metro network length. It connects Dwarka and Dhansa Bus Stand.

Advantages Of Delhi Metro

The advantages of the Delhi metro are multifold. This rail-based system in the national capital region is beneficial to the general public as well as the administration. The affordable metro fare makes it a convenient mode of transport for many people. Additionally, this operational metro is also advantageous to the city socially and economically. Here is why:

The Delhi metro does not run on petrol or diesel, unlike any other motor car. Hence, the metro helps to reduce air pollution in the city.

No motor car can compete with the speed of the metro. This makes the Delhi metro a reliable transportation for reaching places when you are in a hurry. This is also why many office-goers avail the services of these metro trains as it helps them to avoid the traffic on the roads of Delhi.

The Delhi metro helps to reduce the number of accidents. The metro was brought to the national capital because of an increase in accidents brought about by the privatization of buses. When people avail the metro, they ditch individual cars, which takes down the number of automobiles on the road.

This, in turn, reduces the congestion of traffic on the roads.

Less number of automobiles also indicate more fuel savings. This is beneficial to both the individual as well as the country's economy.

Facts About The Delhi Metro Lines

Now that you are accustomed to the different routes of the Delhi metro and their advantages, let us take a look at some more Delhi metro facts. These Delhi metro facts have been brought to the surface over the years, starting from 2002 till present times. So what are these facts? Let us take a look.

Delhi metro stretches over more than 186.4 mi (300 km). This has made the Delhi metro become one of the most extensive and best metro routes in the world, along with the London metro, Beijing metro, Shanghai metro, and the New York metro network.

Delhi metro is also the second oldest metro service in India, the first one being the Kolkata metro.

The eight-coach metro trains of Delhi metro has around 2.8 million passengers each day.

The Ashram metro station is located in the smallest metro station in the world. This was not planned. After the blueprint of this metro station was made, it was noticed that 40% of the land allocated for the metro station could not be made available for construction.

Hauz Khas is the deepest station in the Delhi metro route with a depth of 95 ft (29 m).

The Chawri Bazar station is one such metro station that stands out because of the amalgamation that it produces between history, tradition, and technology. This metro station is the second deepest metro station.

It goes 82 ft (25 m) below the ground. This metro station is close to many historical monuments, too. It is also the only station that is situated inside a tunnel.

The deepest point in the route of the Delhi metro lies below the Rajiv Chowk station. This deepest point runs 148 ft (45 m) deep and is under construction to connect to the orange line.

Dhaula Kuan is the highest point in the route of the Delhi metro. This highest point is situated at 77.4 ft (23.6 m).

The only South Asian museum about a metro railway is located at Patel Chowk and is named the Patel Chowk Metro Museum.

Kashmere Gate is the only interchange station that connects three different lines.

The Delhi Metro has launched its feeder bus service. They were introduced in August 2021. It is yet to commence operations for the public.