Metro reaches JNS in time for Games opening

South Delhi has reason to rejoice. The Central Secretariat to Sarita Vihar section of Delhi Metro was given the mandatory safety clearance by Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) on Saturday.
The 15-km long section will open for public from 8am on Sunday. Since the venue for the opening ceremony of the Commonwealth Games also falls on the line, special arrangements are being made by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to make people aware about the opening of the new line.
‘‘The CMRS, R K Kardam, has completed the inspection and granted permission to open this line for public use.Passenger services will start simultaneously from Central Secretariat and Sarita Vihar Metro stations at 8am on Sunday. Before this, special pilot trains will run on the line with officers from signalling, electrical, track, rolling stock, etc, as a precaution,’’ said a DMRC spokesperson.
This section, which starts from a new underground station constructed right next to the existing one at Central Secretariat, will have trains running at a frequency of 2 minutes and 40 seconds through the day to facilitate movement of people to JN Stadium. The Metro station next to the stadium is a brief walk and DTC also plans to run shuttle buses from the Jor Bagh station to the stadium every 1-2 minutes.
The last five kilometres of the line, from Sarita Vihar to Badarpur, is not fully ready so the section has not been opened for now. ‘‘The line is expected to be further extended up to Badarpur from Sarita Vihar in about 10 days’ time,’’ the spokesperson added.
With the traffic police banking heavily on the Metro to take people to JN Stadium, DMRC is making last-minute plans to inform spectators about the opening of the line and also to tackle technical snags, which are otherwise common on the first day of operations. ‘‘Train movement on this line will personally be monitored by senior Metro officers from the Operations Control Room throughout the inaugural function,’’ the spokesperson said.
In addition, ‘May I help You’ kiosks are being put up at JN Stadium and Jangpura Metro stations to guide
spectators and tourists, and DMRC has deployed 250 volunteers from scouts and guides and another 153 Bangalore Metro trainees for crowd control.
DMRC is going to use the mass media to inform people about the opening of the new section and announcements are also going to be made at Metro stations. Detailed station maps are also being made available to commuters to inform them about the connectivity. The line and all the stations have been lit up and CWG branding like Shera cutouts, etc, have been put up.
For added security, all Metro stations have been equipped with x-ray scanners, hand-held and door-framed metal detectors, in addition to heavy deployment of policemen, intelligence officials and security personnel in plainclothes.
On Sunday, the last train from JN Stadium Station to Central Secretariat will leave at 11.24pm while the one headed to Sarita Vihar will leave at 11.27pm. Normal service timings — 6am to 11pm — will be effective from October 4.
megha.suri@timesgroup.com