The Golden Line (Line 10 and Line 11) is a

rapid transit Rapid transit or mass rapid transit (MRT) or heavy rail, commonly referred to as metro, is a type of high-capacity public transport that is generally built in urban areas. A grade separation, grade separated rapid transit line below ground su ...

line of the

Delhi Metro The Delhi Metro is a rapid transit system that serves Delhi and the adjoining satellite cities of Faridabad, Gurugram, Noida, Bahadurgarh, and Ballabhgarh in the National Capital Region (India), National Capital Region of India. The system cons ...

currently under-construction. It will connect southern Delhi directly with

Indira Gandhi International Airport Indira Gandhi International Airport is the primary international airport serving New Delhi, the capital of India, and the National Capital Region (NCR). The airport, spread over an area of ,

to relieve the increasing traffic, congestion and pollution on roads. It will start from Terminal 1-IGI Airport, which was previously planned from Delhi Aerocity, and end in Tughlakabad. It will be long with 16 stations, out of which four will be elevated and 12 will be underground. Construction began on the line in June 2022, as part of the

fourth phase Fourth Phase (''Quarta Fase'', QF) is a faction within the Democratic Party (PD), a political party in Italy. The name of the faction was chosen to identify the new stage of left-wing Catholics in Italian politics, the first three being within the ...

of the Delhi Metro's development, and is expected to be completed by March 2026.

History

The Golden Line, initially named as Silver Line, was conceptualized by the

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is a centre-state joint venture that operates the Delhi Metro and Noida Metro. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation is also involved in the planning and implementation of metro rail, monorail, and high-speed r ...

(DMRC) under the Phase IV of

's future expansion and development in July 2016. As per the plan, six new lines covering a length of about have been planned to be added to the metro network, out of which the Golden Line would cover southern Delhi at a length of . The plans were finalized for implementation by the

Government of Delhi The Government of Delhi, officially the Government of the National Capital Territory of Delhi (GNCTD; ISO: ) is the governing body of India's National Capital Territory of Delhi, whose urban area is the seat of the Government of India. It also ...

in December 2018; this time the length of the Golden Line increased to . In March 2019, the plans were approved for construction by the

Government of India The Government of India (ISO 15919, ISO: Bhārata Sarakāra, legally the Union Government or Union of India or the Central Government) is the national authority of the Republic of India, located in South Asia, consisting of States and union t ...

. Thus, land acquisition for Phase IV and Golden Line began from April 2019, and was completed by three years. Construction was supposed to begin from 2021, but was delayed due to the restrictions imposed by the government due to the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic (also known as the coronavirus pandemic and COVID pandemic), caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2), began with an disease outbreak, outbreak of COVID-19 in Wuhan, China, in December ...

. Hence, construction was started by

Afcons Infrastructure Afcons Infrastructure Limited is an Indian multinational construction and engineering company based in Mumbai. The company is involved in infrastructure EPC projects such as bridges, flyovers, metros, railway lines, tunnels, highways, ports a ...

and

Larsen & Toubro Larsen & Toubro Limited, abbreviated as L&T, is an Indian multinational conglomerate, with interests in industrial technology, heavy industry, engineering, construction, manufacturing, power, information technology, defence and financial se ...

in June 2022. It was expected to be completed by 2024/25, which has been extended to March 2026, as of January 2024. In November 2020, the DMRC changed the alignment of the Golden Line as per the instructions of the

Archaeological Survey of India The Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) is an Indian government agency that is responsible for archaeological research and the conservation and preservation of cultural historical monuments in the country. It was founded in 1861 by Alexander ...

(ASI) to circumvent the

Qutb Minar The Qutb Minar, also spelled Qutub Minar and Qutab Minar, is a minaret and victory tower comprising the Qutb complex, which lies at the site of Delhi's oldest fortified city, Lal Kot, founded by the Tomar Rajputs. It is a UNESCO World Heritage ...

and the

Mehrauli Archaeological Park The Mehrauli Archaeological Park is an archaeological area spread over in the Mehrauli neighbourhood of the South Delhi district of Delhi, India. The park is located adjacent to the World Heritage-listed Qutub Minar and the Qutb complex. The ...

, so to avoid any harm to these critical historical sites during construction and operation. As per the initial plan, the line was proposed to be extended to Terminal 1 of

, in order to provide commuters a faster and direct link to the airport's premises. The proposal was approved by the Government of Delhi after the DMRC created and showed a

Detailed Project Report A project plan, is a series of structured tasks, objectives, and schedule to a complete a desired outcome, according to a project managers designs and purpose. According to the Project Management Body of Knowledge (PMBOK), is: "...a formal, appro ...

(DPR) in December 2023, thereby increasing the line's length to . The name of the line was changed from 'Silver Line' to 'Golden Line' in January 2024.

Stations

The stations being built on the Golden Line are:

Main Line

Branch Line (formerly the Brown Line)

Project timeline

* July 2016: The Phase IV plan consisting of six new lines, including the Golden Line (then Silver Line) was created by the

(DMRC). * December 2018: The Phase IV and the Golden Line were approved by the

. * March 2019: Both the Phase IV and the Golden Line were approved by the

. * April 2019: Land acquisition begins for the Golden Line. * November 2020: The alignment of the line was changed as per the advice of the

(ASI) to avoid possible impacts to the

and the

. * June 2022: Construction on the line started by

and

. * December 2023: The proposal to extend the line to Terminal 1 of

was approved by the Government of Delhi. * January 2024: The name of the line was changed to 'Golden Line' from 'Silver Line' by the DMRC. It is expected to be completed by March 2026.

Train Info

References

{{Railways in Northern India Delhi Metro lines