Delhi Metro Magenta Line: Why the new Hauz Khas station is an engineering landmark
At 29 metres, the five-level new Hauz Khas station on the soon-to-be inaugurated Kalkaji Mandir-Janakpuri West corridor of the Magenta Line is the deepest station on the Delhi Metro network, whose tunnel was bored below the existing one on the Yellow Line.
At 29 metres, the five-level new Hauz Khas station on the soon-to-be inaugurated Kalkaji Mandir-Janakpuri West corridor of the Magenta Line is the deepest station on the Delhi Metro network, whose tunnel was bored below the existing one on the Yellow Line. The present station at busy Hauz Khas (HUDA City Centre-Samayapur Badli) is 17-metre deep. For the construction of the new station, it was not possible to go below the existing station, as the foundation is 32 metre and there is the foundation of the flyover on Outer Ring Road also, a senior DMRC official said today.
“Therefore, if the new station had to be constructed below the existing station, we would have to go deep up to about 42 m, which would have been very difficult. So, the new station has been built adjacent to the existing station at a depth of 29 m, with a length of 265 m,” he said. The 24.82-km-long corridor on the Magenta Line, part of the Phase-III project is slated to be inaugurated on May 28. “It has been designed as a five-level station (rail – platform – intermediate – intermediate – concourse). Generally interchange stations have three or in some cases four levels only,” the official said.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said construction of the new Hauz Khas station was a “massive challenge” for the metro team. “Since it was an interchange facility, the engineers also had to ensure that the inter-connectivity between the old and the new portions of Hauz Khas station was seamless and comfortable. “The new tunnel at Hauz Khas is about 29-metre deep at a point just after the station. We have passed 3 m below the existing tunnel. Proper measures were taken to prevent any movement of the existing tunnel,” the official added.
The new station has been connected with the currently operational station through a ramp. The current Hauz Khas station starts near the Laxman Public School and proceeds up to almost the median of the Outer Ring Road. The DMRC said that to prevent disturbance to the residents from civil work, sound barriers were installed at the Hauz Khas station area. “These sound barriers are continuing all along the station box. These barriers lead to about 32-35 per cent reduction in noise. Similar barriers have also been put up at Vasant Vihar,” the official said.
In Phase-II, the tunnel of the Airport Express Line had passed below the two-tier Rajiv Chowk Metro station at a depth of about 45 m. “However, that apart such a feat had never ever been achieved in Delhi Metro in its first two phases. In Phase -III, apart from Hauz Khas, tunnels have been constructed below operational tunnels at three other locations,” the official said.