INFRASTRUCTURE - Delhi

Line 1 begins at Sharada in the east and was extended to 22km (18 stations) in March 2004 with the inauguration of the entirely elevated Inder Lok-Rithala section.

Line 2 between Vishwa Vidyalaya (Delhi University, North Campus) and Central Secretariat, is underground for its entire 11km length, passing through the city centre and business district at Connaught Place. Stations, 12.85m below ground, were built by cut-and-cover methods except at Chawri Bazar (20m down) where tunnelling was employed.

Line 3, 33.5km long, is mostly elevated or at grade with a short underground section in central New Delhi, and intersects with Line 2 at Connaught Place. It does not connect with Line 1, and runs westwards from Barakhamba Road in the city centre to the western township of Dwarka.

There are escalators and elevators at all stations, with tactile tiles to guide the visually impaired from outside the stations to the trains.

A challenging construction project was Mandi House on Line 3, managed by British company Mott Macdonald. Located under Sikandra Road, an important and busy thoroughfare, much of the station had to be built top-down, with the diaphragm wall panels built from ground level to form the permanent walls of the station. As part of their environmental policy, many Delhi Metro stations are equipped for rainwater collection.