“Above us is Hotel Shangri La’s swimming pool,” said Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Deputy Chief Engineer R. K. Hustoo as he led a group of media persons on Wednesday into the expanses of the underground tunnel at the upcoming Janpath Metro Station.
The group had already craned their necks to imagine the Chelmsford Club and the bungalows of Murli Manohar Joshi and T. R. Baalu above their heads. The cool interiors of the tunnel – which is roughly 900 metres one way – stood in sharp contrast to the sultry weather outside. With no cell phone signal and thus no distractions, the group was left visualising a six-coach train making its way down the tunnel…
The Janpath station is a crucial link connecting the Central Secretariat station to Mandi House along a 3-km corridor. With 70 per cent of the civil work completed, work on electricity and wiring will begin soon. Mr. Hustoo, who is the project manager of the Central Secretariat – Janpath section, reiterated what Delhi Metro’s Managing Director Mangu Singh had said: “Both tunnels connecting Central Secretariat to Janpath are ready and tracks are being laid. Construction of rooms has begun on the concourse level.”
There are three cross passages between Central Secretariat and Janpath which are manually carved out by what is known as the ‘New Austrian Tunnelling Method’, he explained adding, “These are fitted with fire doors and also act as the collection point for water seepage. This is later pumped out of the station.”
The underground station at Janpath – which is 250 metres long, 20 metres wide and 18 metres deep – is part of the 9.37-km-long Central Secretariat – Kashmere Gate corridor also called the Heritage Line. The station has been built using ‘Cut and Cover’ technology and a total of 1,14,000 cubic metres of earth was excavated for its construction.
With the Tunnel Boring Machine making its way from Mandi House towards Janpath, the link between the two stations is fast developing. “There are various important structures along this alignment too. The Nepal Embassy, Akashdeep Building, Devi Prasad Sadan, Antriksh Bhavan, American Centre, Fullbright House, Jeevan Prakash Building…” trailed off Mr. Hustoo.
