The Kashmere Gate Metro station, with three interchanges, is all set to be more than double the size of the busiest Rajiv Chowk station in Connaught Place.
When Delhi Metro’s Phase-III project is commissioned, the Rajiv Chowk station, which currently has a footfall of five lakh, will see a reverse trend. Its ridership would see a decline with availability of several alternative routes.
Whereas, the Kashmere Gate station, would see a spike in its footfall as people would get to travel between Escorts Mujesar and Jama Masjid, Dilshad Garden-Rithala and Huda City Centre-Samaypur Badli.
The station will be the first model of Multi-Modal Integration (MMI) in Delhi where three links will be connected at the concourse level.
“Area wise, it is going to be the biggest inter-change station. If we take all the floors, Kashmere Gate will have a total area of about 11,000 square metres, which is almost three times the size of Rajiv Chowk,” a Metro official said.
With the sole aim of making the station accessible from all sides, as many as eight entry/exit points have been built. Each of these entry points will have bicycle stands and dedicated bays for intermediate para transit (IPT) such as auto-rickshaws and e-rickshaws. Commuters will get to board autos and feeder buses directly after coming out of the station without having to cross the road.
“The aim is to provide a seamless transit system. We are redesigning the Lothian Road by converting it into an even six-lane street. Table top connection and cobblestoned traffic calmers will be installed to ensure that pedestrians can cross the road easily. The area already has two subways, which will be revamped by the Public Works Department (PWD),” the official added.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will work with the Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (DTIDC) to connect the metro station with Kashmere Gate ISBT.
“The DTIDC will build a ramp that would take passengers from the metro station directly to the first floor of the ISBT. The ramp will be built from Gate number 8 of the metro station,” officials said.
Learning from its experience in the existing metro stations where auto rickshaws and other modes of transport crowd metro premises, the DMRC will not allow any driver to park their three-wheelers anywhere in the lookout for passengers.
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