Delhi Metro's Magenta Line open to public from 5 pm; expected to ferry over 3.6 lakh commuters daily

New Delhi: The Botanical Garden-Kalkaji Mandir section of the Magenta Line, inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi earlier in the day, was thrown open to the public at 5 pm on Monday. [caption id=“attachment_4275087” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the flag off ceremony of the Botanical Garden - Kalka Mandir section of Delhi Metro, in Noida on Monday. PTI[/caption] The stretch will help connect Noida with Faridabad in Haryana through the Violet line (Escorts Mujesar-Kashmere Gate), which will intersect at Kalkaji Mandir station. Once fully operational by March next, the Magenta Line (Botanical Garden-Janakpuri West) will ferry approximately 3.60 lakh commuters every day, Delhi Metro estimates. The Botanical Garden-Kalkaji section (12.64 km) comprises nine stations — all elevated except for Kalkaji. The travel time between the two locations will reduce from 52 minutes (Botanical Garden to Mandi House via Blue Line and onwards to Kalkaji on Violet Line) to 19 minutes on the Magenta Line. For better crowd management, all stations will have Platform Screening Doors which are installed ahead of the Metro coach gates.