New Delhi: Delhi added another landmark to its cultural map as Chief Minister Rekha Gupta inaugurated the new, state-of-the-art Delhi Metro Museum at the Supreme Court Metro Station, turning one of the city’s busiest transit corridors into a window on engineering, innovation and urban transformation. The museum opens to the public today, December 19.

The inauguration was attended by Dr Pankaj Kumar Singh, Delhi’s Minister for Health & Family Welfare, Transport and Information Technology, along with DMRC Managing Director Dr Vikas Kumar and senior officials. Designed as an immersive experience rather than a static archive, the museum aims to familiarise citizens, especially younger visitors, with the vision and technology behind India’s most advanced urban transit system.

Calling the museum a lesson in foresight and decision-making, the Chief Minister said museums are not just about preserving the past but about reflecting the vision that shapes the future. She described the Delhi Metro as a living example of expert engineering and planning that future generations can learn from.

Dr Singh said the capital is steadily emerging as a “city of museums,” with institutions celebrating India’s history, leadership and innovation, and added that the Metro Museum would now join the list of key attractions for both residents and tourists.

Spread across nearly 12,000 square feet in its first phase, the museum has been developed on the lines of leading metro museums across the world. It houses advanced display platforms, interactive digital installations and hands-on exhibits that explain how the Metro is planned, built and operated. Visitors can try driving simulators for a real-world metro experience, explore working models of tunnel boring machines and launching girders, and engage with digital games and quizzes that simplify complex engineering concepts.

The space also features selfie points, souvenir shops, static models and detailed exhibits on various operational aspects of the Metro. A special panel dedicated to ‘Metroman’ Dr E Sreedharan, a mock metro tunnel and a model of the Operations Control Centre add depth to the narrative. Dioramas of Delhi’s landmarks, a photo gallery of visits by national and international dignitaries, and panels marking key milestones together trace the Metro’s journey from concept to global benchmark. In all, more than 50 panels, exhibits, kiosks and models are on display, with further additions planned in Phase 2.

Easily accessible on the Blue Line, the Supreme Court station location places the museum close to major landmarks such as Bharat Mandapam and the Supreme Court, making it convenient for commuters and visitors alike.

The museum will remain open from Tuesday to Sunday between 10 am and 4 pm, and will be closed on Mondays and public holidays. An entry fee of ₹10 has been fixed to encourage wider public participation.

The new facility also marks the end of an era for the Patel Chowk Metro Museum, India’s first Metro Rail Museum inaugurated on December 31, 2008. Conceived to chronicle the Metro’s early journey, the Patel Chowk museum attracted around 5,000 students from India and abroad every year. With the opening of the new museum at Supreme Court, the Patel Chowk facility has now been closed, passing the baton to a larger, more immersive tribute to Delhi’s transport lifeline.

BI Bureau