Metro goes for new design to connect Blue, Pink lines

In the crowded by-lanes of Mayur Vihar-I the Delhi Metro has managed to convert the existing station into an interchange facility, connecting the Pink Line (Shiv Vihar to Majlis Park) and the Blue Line (Dwarka sector-21-Noida City Centre/Vaishali).

The extension is likely to be open for service by the year’s end. It will provide an important connection between east and south Delhi, and will also connect these parts with areas around west Delhi and Dwarka.

The project has had its challenges, primarily constraints of space. Hindustan Times brings the first-look of the extended station.

Limited space for construction

The new section has been built as an extension of the existing station building to make transition between lines easier for commuters. However, achieving this feat was not easy for the planners considering the heavy volume of traffic over a narrow stretch of road.

Senior Metro officials, in-charge of managing the construction, said that they had to build the extended station on a road that was only 13 metres wide, which is not enough for a traditional Metro station design.

This led to the designers to opt for a a single pier—the chandelier style station design—with one pillar branching out into two columns. It was the first time that such a design was used for a station on the Delhi Metro network.

The station has an 83-metre connecting bridge to the existing Blue Line station.

Resistance from residence

Access to the Metro would normally be a welcome news to residents in the area. However, building it would mean noise and that was not welcome here.

“The opposition from residents were severe,” said an official. “We had continually ensure throughout the construction period that the noise levels were kept within the prescribed norms.”

The locals also raised the issue of traffic blockade and jams caused by the construction activities in the last few months.

Unique features

Despite its limitations, the Mayur Vihar-I station will bring some unique features, which commuters need to look out for after the section is finally opened.

The Pink Line, towards the station is creating a multi-tier alignment with the Noida link flyover, the existing Blue Line metro track, and the upcoming Barapullah phase-IV corridor.

The alignment that passes over the Blue Line track is 23 metres high, the second highest on the entire Metro network after the one at Dhaula Kuan on the same line.

The station length spans over 140 metres, which in regular stations is only 70 metres. This was done to utilise the additional space created by the elevation of the station because of lack of space on the sides of the road.