The Delhi Metro on Tuesday started trial runs on the 8.10 km stretch between the lajpat Nagar and Sir Vishweshwaraiah Moti Bagh section of the upcoming 59 km long Majlis Park — Shiv Vihar corridor of the Pink line. Senior Delhi Metro officials said that the stretch is a continuation of the Majlis Park - Durgabai Deshmukh South Campus section, which was opened to public last month.
The new section is expected to be a major boon for the shoppers of the city as four major markets of the national capital like Sarojini Nagar, INA, South Extension and lajpat Nagar will get dedicated Metro stations. The lajpat Nagar- Sir Vishweshwaraiah Moti Bagh will have 6 stations- Sir Vishweshwaraih Moti Bagh, Bhikaji Cama Place, Sarojini Nagar, INA, South Extension and lajpat Nagar. Out of these, only Sir Vishweshwaraiah Moti Bagh station is elevated and the other stations are underground.
This section will have two interchange stations at INA and lajpat Nagar. The facility of interchange of Metro trains between Yellow line and Pink line is available at INA and between Pink line and Violet line at lajpat Nagar Station. the INA station will be an integrated station while the lajpat Nagar station will have a Foot Over Bridge of 180 meters.
Talking about the special features of the lajpat Nagar station, the Delhi metro official said, “From the underground station perspective, this Metro Station is unique as the platform has been constructed above the concourse level for the first time in Metro construction. This means that the platform is at the first level of this underground station (called basement level 1) while the concourse level has been shifted below the platform at the base level. For example, if a passenger wants to interchange from the new INA Station to the old INA station, then, he has to go down from the platform of the new station to the concourse level and from the concourse he will be connected to the concourse of the old INA station through the common interchange area.
The official said, “Commuters of the Pink line and Violet line will be able to change trains. The construction of this interchange in a congested locality along the lajpat Nagar market was a major challenge for the Delhi metro engineers. The INA station of the Pink line is an interchange station with the Yellow line Station.”
“The new station is at 90 degrees to the existing station and this is for the first time in the history of the Metro construction that a station is built over the existing tunnel connecting the operational INA and the AIIMS Metro Stations. This is also probably the first time in India that a ‘Cut and Cover’ construction was done over the existing operational tunnel,” he added.