A century-old tunnel, legacy of the British, is all set to change the face of the Old Delhi railway station. Eclipsed by the New Delhi and Nizamuddin stations, this heritage building will once again rise to prominence with the refurbishing of this 70-metre-long tunnel. Ten months from now, moving within the maze of platforms will be a breeze. Commuters will no longer have to navigate through the crowded overbridges.
The CPRO, Northern Railway, S K Sharma, said till last month, the tunnel was used to carry goods, a practice followed since the construction of this heritage building. "We have now built dedicated pathways for movement of heavy luggage and parcels. The tunnel will ease the rush on the overbridges by accommodating part of the over 3 lakh passengers coming to the station every day. We will provide lifts at each platform for the convenience of passengers. This will bring down reliance on porters," he said.Senior divisional engineer Rakesh Chaudhry said the tunnel runs right under the tower clock on the main entrance-the SP Mukherjee Marg. "We plan to install a powerful lift that will take the passengers down to the tunnel. The present lift, used to haul goods, will be transformed for passenger use. We plan to construct a flight of stairs on the ISBT side of the station that will lead to the tunnel," said Rakesh.
Sources said they are yet to ascertain the cost of the project as the final plan awaits nod from the Railway Board. "There are three major issues to be dealt with. First, there is lack of proper lighting inside the tunnel. Further, there are ventilation and seepage problems to handle. The engineers are on the job. We hope to meet the deadline and complete the work in ten months," said an officer.
Once ready, the passengers will be led to the tunnel with the help of proper signage. Working on the tunnel with a width of 3.14 metres and a height of 2.10 metres will be a challenging task, claimed an officer. The railways has also chalked out a new traffic plan for the main entrance on S P Mukherjee Marg to facilitate movement inside the tunnel. All vehicles will be given direct access to the station after turning right from the Red Fort side. Earlier cars and other private vehicles had to take a U-turn and cover a considerable distance before being allowed entry to the station. "We will create new lanes for such vehicles. Most of the vehicular movement will now be inside the station premises," said Rakesh. The main entrance has also been given a facelift. "The columns in the facade of the building are glossy and smooth after being coated with granite. The main concourse hall has been spruced up using granite cladding," said Ashwini Lohani, DRM (Delhi).
Two parking lots have been built to accommodate 200 cars. A separate lane has been made for taxis after dismantling decrepit structures near the MCD night shelter. "We have done our best to keep the area around the night shelter clean,'' said an official.
