The new Central Secretariat-Qutab Minar corridor of the Delhi Metro railway is all set for a September opening. The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety is expected to carry out inspection of the stretch on August 30 and 31.
According to Delhi Metro officials, the 12.53-km-long corridor will be ready for commercial operations after the CMRS gives the mandatory clearance certificate.
The stretch has nine underground stations -- Udyog Bhawan, Race Course, Jorbagh, INA, AIIMS, Green Park, Hauz Khas, Malviya Nagar and Saket.
The CMRS on Wednesday inspected the Chhattarpur metro station, also on the Central Secretariat-Gurgaon corridor. This station will be made operational for public use from Thursday.
“CMRS R.K. Kardam inspected the station and gave the statutory clearances necessary for the commencement of commuter operations from the station,” said a Delhi Metro spokesperson.
The Chhattarpur station was not opened to the public when the rest of the Qutab Minar-HUDA City Centre corridor was opened in June. “The trains running on the Qutab Minar-HUDA City Centre stretch were bypassing Chhattarpur station because construction work took time. Land for the station's construction was allotted very late and DMRC could start work on the station only in October last year,” the spokesperson said.
The Chhattarpur station has been constructed in nine months using special pre-fabricated and structural steel. This is the only station that has been constructed using pre-fabricated materials.
“The conventional construction technique of making stations by concrete would have taken at least two years for the construction which would have delayed the metro line substantially,” the spokesperson said.
The Chhattarpur station has the largest parking area available compared with the other stations. Though the total parking area is 12,000 square metres, initially only 4,000 square metres of parking area will be available. This will accommodate about 800 two-wheelers and 200 cars.
“The station will benefit visitors to the Chhattarpur temple every year. The residents of nearby areas of Mehrauli and Vasant Kunj will also benefit. The expected ridership of this station as per the detailed project report is 11,723 in 2011,” the spokesperson said.
