As the Delhi Metro reaches out to all parts of the Capital and beyond to the NCR, the end of Phase II, which is just a year away now, will see massive growth in terms of Metro lines, trains and ridership, says the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

To manage this growth, the DMRC is simultaneously working on new depots to handle the increasing number of trains. Against the existing three, a total of eight depots will be ready by the end of the project.

The DMRC is currently running 70 trains (280 coaches) with a ridership of 8.5 lakh daily. With the opening of new lines, however, in Delhi, Gurgaon, Noida and Badarpur, the number will go up to 153 trains (a total of 900 coaches) and an expected ridership of 20 lakh by September 2010, the scheduled time for the completion of Phase II.

The DMRC will be adding 86 stations with an additional network of 128.06 km, a total of 110.99 km in Delhi and 17.07 km in the NCR.

“We have just three depots as of now at Shashtri Park, Khyber Pass and Najafgarh. The new trains that have been coming in were being sent to Khyber Pass for commissioning,” said Anuj Dayal, DMRC spokesperson.

“With the opening of the Yamuna Bank depot, which is an important interchange station for the Anand Vihar and Noida lines, oscillation trials for this corridor can be managed directly from here,” he added.

The new depots will come up at Mundka for the Inderlok to Mundka line, Sultanpur for Central Secretariat to Gurgaon and Sarita Vihar for Central Secretariat to Badarpur.

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