Remaining part of Magenta line to be operational soon

New Delhi: Chirag Dilli is all set to become an important interchange hub for Delhi Metro commuters in South Delhi as much-awaited remaining 25.6-km section between Kalkaji Mandir to Janakpuri West is expected to be opened by mid-April. An underground station has come up near the busy Chirag Dilli intersection, which will cater to areas such as Panchsheel Enclave, Masjid Moth, Sheikh Sarai, Chirag Dilli village, DDA Colony, Krishi Vihar, etc.

In a fact, Chirag Delhi Metro station is going to be an interchange station for the proposed Lajpat Nagar to Saket G- Block corridor of Delhi Metro's phase-IV. Meanwhile, the proposed corridor would then connect Magenta line with the upcoming Pink line (Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar). Delhi Metro Rail Corporation officials said that though the Delhi Metro stations are usually located about a kilometre apart, the Chirag Delhi station is just 500-metre away from the upcoming Greater Kailash Metro station. "Distance between the stations is unusually short. A station was required at Chirag Dilli keeping in mind the huge catchment area in its vicinity and for the many residential areas it would provide connectivity too," official added.

Moreover, it has been considered that the number of passengers at Chirag Delhi Metro station would be around 20,000 daily and four lakhs footfall daily when the entire Magenta line becomes functional, an official said.

He further added that 6 coaches of a driverless train will run on the 38.22-km corridor. "Apart from residential areas, the station is also close to the Jahanpanah city forest. At present, the vast green area is visited only by locals but when the metro station opens, it will be accessible to people from across the city," the official added.

DMRC claimed that it has also improved the road infrastructure and geometry of Chirag Dilli intersection. "The road geometry has been changed for better traffic circulation. We have created traffic islands at the intersection, apart from two new slip roads," said a DMRC official.

There would be a total of five entry and exit points to the station. While two entry and exit points are on the Chirag Dilli side, one each is on Panchsheel Enclave, Masjid Moth and Jahanpanah city forest side. "The station would be connected through subways from these entry and exit points and can also be used by those wanting to cross the road as they fall in the unpaid area," the official said. The longest of these subways is the one connecting the station with Masjid Moth, which is 120-metre long. "Constructing these subways was a huge engineering challenge due to the large number of utilities that had to be shifted. Another major challenge was the foundation of the Chirag Dilli flyover, which we had to avoid," the spokesperson reportedly said. "We had to find gaps between the foundations of the flyover's pillars, which required extensive coordination with civic agencies," he added.

While most underground stations on this stretch of Magenta line are at a depth of 18-metre, the Chirag Delhi Metro station is 21-metre below the ground level. "We had to lower the alignment as there was a drain just next to the station," the official said.