The new Kalkaji Mandir Metro station on the Botanical garden-Janakpuri West line, apart from welcoming the new driverless train, will be an interchange hub and shorten travel time between Noida and south Delhi.
Trial run on the 12.64-km Kalkaji Mandir-Botanical garden stretch of the 36-km corridor has just been completed and the section is likely to become operational by the end of November.
Hindustan Times visited the station to find out how it is panning out and how the line will boost connectivity between Noida and Faridabad as it loops in Kalkaji temple, Lotus temple and the office and commercial hub of Nehru Place.
And once the entire corridor from Botanical Garden to Janakpuri West opens by March 2018, commuters from Noida can go to Gurgaon by changing trains at Hauz Khas.
The line will help immensely in decongesting Rajiv Chowk, the present interchange point for travellers between Noida and Gurgaon.
The new station at Kalkaji is underground while the present one on the Kashmere Gate–Escorts Mujesar corridor (Violet Line) is elevated. Though both stations are at a considerable distance, a 260-metre pedestrian bridge will connect the paid area of the new station with the old.
“The existing Kalkaji Mandir station on the Kashmere Gate–Escorts Mujesar corridor will have an interchange with the Janakpuri West–Botanical Garden corridor here. The station will have three new entry-exit points, with one point opening near the Nehru Place bus terminal. Another entry point will open in front of the office complexes at Nehru Place,” said a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson.
The station will also provide direct connectivity to the domestic terminal of the IGI airport. Passengers coming from Faridabad on the Violet Line can change and take a train to the airport.
The Botanical garden-Janakpuri West touches the airport.
“The station comes as a boost for tourism as Lotus Temple and Kalkaji Temple are nearby. It will be an additional option to reach the IT market and business centre of Nehru Place,” the spokesperson added.
Residents of Noida will also get additional connectivity to south Delhi. Currently, to travel to south Delhi, they have to change trains at Mandi House (from Blue Line to Violet Line). With this new section, commuters will be able to travel directly to Kalkaji Mandir and save time.
The Botanical Garden-Kalkaji Mandir section has nine stations – Kalkaji Mandir, Okhla NSIC, Sukhdev Vihar, Jamia Milia Islamia, Jasola Vihar Shaheen Bagh, Kalindi Kunj, Okhla Bird Sanctuary and Botanical Garden.
The new Kalkaji Mandir station is underground while all other stations on the line are elevated. The section will cater to two major educational institutions — Jamia Milia Islamia University and Amity University, Noida —and a hospital — Fortis Escorts Heart Institute.
The Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden Metro corridor constitutes 21.65 km of underground lines and 14.7 km of elevated lines. There are 15 underground and 10 elevated stations on the corridor.
DMRC has used the New Austrian Tunneling Method (NATM) to carry out tunneling work between Kalkaji Mandir and NSIC Okhla as it has to pass below the presently operational Nehru Place-Kalkaji Mandir elevated section of the Kashmere Gate- Escorts Mujesar Metro corridor.
