This station holds importance as all the three priority corridors of the RRTS will converge here
Work on the largest of the three Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) stations constituting the National Capital Region Transport Corporation’s (NCRTC) Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor has begun on the ground at Sarai Kale Khan alongside operational simulations in the virtual dimension.
To be completed by 2025, the elevated Sarai Kale Khan station in the heart of the Capital, measuring approximately 215 metres by 48 metres is likely to accommodate six platforms and four lines for trains running at up to 180 kmph. It will not only reduce travelling time to Meerut which will be between 40 and 60 minutes but also to the larger NCR which will soon include Alwar and Panipat.
Spherical bearings
The 82-km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor is the first project of its kind to utilise spherical bearings to enable high speeds. The 17-km-long priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai on the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut corridor is targeted to be commissioned by 2023.
“Manpower and machinery has been mobilised and construction on the ground has begun at the construction site. On the other hand, operational simulations related to the integration of the station with existing modes of transportation in its vicinity have also begun,” said an NCRTC official.
No inconvenience
“The station is located at a significant distance from vehicular traffic and construction activity will certainly not cause any inconvenience for commuters using the stretch. The simulations are being conducted to ascertain operational aspects as well as linking it with other modes post-construction,” the spokesperson said.
As The Hindu had reported on December 24 last year, “visible signs of construction” at the site, which is expected to see “significant commuter footfall” once completed, were scheduled to begin manifesting by early 2021 even as work related to the project in Uttar Pradesh is on in full swing.
Puneet Vats, NCRTC Chief Public Relation Officer, said the Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station is important as all the three priority corridors of RRTS will converge and it will be seamlessly integrated with the existing Hazrat Nizamuddin metro station, railway station and the Sarai Kale Khan ISBT.
The Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, which also proposes two foot overbridges for multimodal connectivity at Sarai Kale Khan, will have a total of 24 stations and will be elevated for around 70.5 km, with 11.5 km of its stretch underground. The rolling stock or coaches will be manufactured in Savli, Gujarat under the Make-in-India initiative.
Network of networks
“The NCRTC is implementing India’s first RRTS which will form a network of networks by integrating different modes of public transport together. An interconnected network of public transport systems will provide seamless travel experience to commuters,” Mr. Vats said.
An elevated portion of 9.22 km and 4.28 km underground will be part of the RRTS corridor in Delhi with both — the Sarai Kale Khan and New Ashok Nagar stations to be above and the Anand Vihar station to be below the ground.
Meanwhile, the NCRTC is also constructing a 1.35-km-long bridge over the Yamuna almost parallel to the existing DND flyover to connect the Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station to New Ashok Nagar RRTS station. The length of the bridge crossing over the Yamuna will be around 626 metre and the rest of it will be over the Khadar area on both sides.
The bridge will be constructed using box girders with the help of Segment Launching Gantry capable of providing a speed of 160 kmph. It will have 32 piers and will span over 44 metres on these piers.
According to the NCRTC, the well foundation work for the construction of this bridge has also begun with its design having been finalised using the Building Information Modelling’ (BIM) technology.
On the other hand, pier construction of more than 16 km of the 82-km corridor has been completed with around 550 piers erected completely on which approximately 4 km of the RRTS viaduct has been completed.
Foundation work of the Sahibabad, Ghaziabad, Duhai and Guldhar on the priority section between Sahibabad and Duhai has been completed and construction of superstructures is under way. The foundation work of the 16-km RRTS viaduct from on the 17-km priority section has also been completed, the NCRTC said.
