Portal:Trains/Selected article/Week 18, 2010

The Delhi Metro (दिल्ली मेट्रो Dillī Meṭro) is a rapid transit system serving Delhi and Noida in the National Capital Region of India. The network consists of five lines with a total length of 110 km. The metro has 97 stations of which 17 are underground. It has a combination of elevated, at-grade and underground lines and uses both broad gauge and standard gauge rolling stock. Delhi Metro is being built and operated by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC). As of April 2010, DMRC runs 99 trains daily on routes spanning 110 km, operating with a frequency of 3 to 4.5 minutes between 6:00 &mdash; 23:00. The trains have four to six coaches and the power output is supplied by 25-kilovolt, 50 Hz AC through overhead catenary. The metro has an average daily ridership of 950,000, and has carried over a billion commuters in seven years since its inception. Planning for the metro started in 1984, when the Delhi Development Authority and the Urban Arts Commission came up with a proposal for developing a multi-modal transport system for the city. The Government of India and the Government of Delhi jointly set up the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) in 1995. Construction started in 1998, and the first section, on the Red Line, opened in 2002, followed by the Yellow Line in 2004, the Blue Line in 2005, its branch line in 2009 and the Green Line in 2010. Subsequently, these lines have been extended and new lines are under construction in Phase II of the project, including the Delhi Airport Metro Express and the Violet Line which are scheduled to be completed by September 2010.