RailEnquiry

In a bid to ensure that metro users do not crowd busy arterial roads after deboarding trains and walk through fast-moving traffic, the Delhi Metro is planning to construct skywalks at nine existing elevated metro stations.The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) decided on this after it was suggested by the Delhi Traffic police.The traffic police conducted a survey to identify metro stations where pedestrians are vulnerable to road accidents.These stations include, Moolchand, Pragati Maidan, Netaji Subhas Place, Rajouri Garden, Kirti Nagar, Inderlok, Dhaula Kuan and Dilshad Garden.Commuters currently enter these stations from the footpaths and in the absence of proper pedestrian facilities, are forced to walk through the busy roads to go to their destinations and thus endanger their lives.Police said such movement not only put commuters, especially women, children and differently-abled persons at risk, but also caused traffic disruptions.

"We have proposed to the Delhi Metro to build skywalks connecting the main destination points with the respective stations. Now, Delhi Metro will work out the layout plan for the skywalks," said Taj Hassan, special commissioner of police (traffic).

In several cities abroad such as Bangkok and Singapore, the metro authorities identify places around the metro stations such as market places, malls, bus stands and offices, which register a huge footfall and construct skywalks integrating these places with the metro stations, said traffic police sources.

"In association with the traffic police, we have decided to come up with skywalks in some existing stations. Such skywalks will also be constructed in many metro stations to be built in phase 3," said Mangu Singh, chief of DMRC.

The DMRC officials said that the process of preparing the layout for these skywalks would start soon and then the construction work would begin near busy metro stations.

Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, however, is yet to decide if it would engage any private agency to construct these skywalks, said sources.