Delhi Metro: Transforming Urban Transit, Do You Know Its First Route?

The Delhi Metro plays a crucial role in the daily lives of Delhiites, providing convenient and efficient transportation. It has ushered in a new era of mass urban transit in India, offering comfortable, air-conditioned, and eco-friendly travel for the first time in the country. While the Delhi Metro now operates on multiple routes, do you know which one was the first metro route?

According to the DMRC, the Delhi Metro opened its first corridor, the Red Line, between Shahdara and Tis Hazari on December 25, 2002. The first phase of construction, covering 65 kilometres of metro lines, was completed in 2005, two years and nine months ahead of schedule.

Since then, the DMRC has completed the construction of an additional 125 kilometers of metro corridors under the second phase in just four and a half years.

The Airport Express link, connecting Indira Gandhi International Airport with New Delhi, has elevated Delhi to the ranks of global cities with high-speed rail connectivity between the city and the airport. Today, the DMRC operates over 300 train sets, comprising four, six, and eight-coach configurations.

The Delhi Metro network currently spans approximately 395.248 kilometers with 289 stations. 

It extends beyond Delhi, reaching Noida and Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, as well as Gurgaon, Faridabad, Bahadurgarh, and Ballabhgarh in Haryana.

The current Red Line consists of multiple stations, with the metro running between Rithala and Shaheed Sthal (Images: ANI).