The Capital on Sunday got its first Metro line crossing over an existing one. Achieving a rare feat in Metro construction, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) for the first time successfully completed constructing a crossover line over its existing operational line at the Karkarduma Metro station. The line is built at a record height of 21-metre above the ground.
“This is among the first of such achievements in Metro construction in the country. The Delhi Metro is poised to repeat more such achievements in its Phase III project which is slated to be completed by 2016. Construction for crossing over of Metro viaduct at the existing Karkarduma Metro station was never an easy task for engineers. It posed numerous challenges to the civil engineers throughout the project as this is one of the highest crossings of Metro line,” said a Delhi Metro spokesperson. The elevated viaducts of the Phase III project would pass over the existing viaducts of the previous two phases at four more locations, added the official.
The four locations from where it would pass the existing ones are Netaji Subhash Place, Dhaula Kuan, Mayur Vihar-I and Anand Vihar. “The new Metro line (Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar) is crossing the existing (Vaishali-Dwarka) elevated line at 21 metres above the ground and 10 metres above the existing line. The work was been done without disrupting the normal daily Metro train/passenger services for even a single day,” informed the official. The 59-km long line 7 (Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar) is crossing the existing Vaishali-Dwarka Metro alignment at Karkarduma just before the existing Karkarduma station at an angle of 114 degrees. The DMRC had to carry out segmental erection for putting a special span of 37-metre between pier no. 254 and pier no. 255. “An extensive round-the-clock CCTV monitoring was done adjacent to the rail track to avoid electrocution and fall of material during crossing. The monitoring consists of an earthing provided to the launching girder, pre-stressing beam, erected segments or any other loose items kept on span. The work was carried out during the shadow block of existing system during non-operating hours after getting all the clearances from competent authorities,” said an official.