As a part of its upcoming Central Secretariat-Kashmere Gate corridor, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will construct five station entry and exit points-cum-pedestrian subways in the Old Delhi area.
“The five pedestrian subways will be built as part of three station structures in Old Delhi area and will be operational, along with the Metro corridor, by the end of 2015,” said a senior official at DMRC. The proposed Delhi Gate, Jama Masjid and lal Qila Metro stations will have five entry and exit points that will be designed in such a manner that they will also act as underground subways for pedestrians who intend to cross the busy roads above.
At Delhi Gate, the subway under BSZ Marg will be near Feroz Shah Kotla and Ambedkar stadia. While under Asaf Ali Road and Jawaharlal Nehru Marg, the subway will connect Oriental Insurance Building with lok Nayak Jai Prakash Hospital. Similarly, at Jama Masjid Metro station, a subway will connect Jama Masjid to the other side of Netaji Subhash Marg. Two subways will be constructed under Netaji Subhash Marg connecting Red Fort to the other side of the road.
Officials say that these subways will be a boon for the residents as the streets here are congested. This area is also frequented by tourists who visit landmarks like the Red Fort and the Jama Masjid. Pedestrian subways and foot over bridges are limited in number and even some traffic signals have been put only to allow passage of pedestrians. Delhi Metro has tried to create such subways as part of the entry and exit structures of Metro stations in Phase III.