Biggest transport hub at Kashmere Gate.

By next year, the Kashmere Gate metro station is going to be the biggest transport hub in Delhi-NCR. With the upcoming Violet Line (ITO-Kashmere Gate) likely to become operational by this year-end, the station will connect as many as three corridors in the metro network.

Moreover, it is going to be one of the first intersections where the “integrated multi-modal transport” system will be implemented.

The Kashmere Gate metro station, which currently connects the Red Line (Dilshad Garden-Rithala) with the Yellow Line (Jahangirpuri-Samaypur Badli), is set to play a significant role in Multi-Modal Integration (MMI) of various transport systems.

“The UTTIPEC (Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure Planning and Engineering Centre) has drafted the design plan for the MMI system at Kashmere Gate. Under this, roads will be re-aligned for smooth flow of traffic, continuous pedestrian pathways will be built and bus stops would be relocated,” said a metro official.

The plan also includes dedicated spaces for autos, while the vendors will be allotted space away from the passenger entry/exit points. There will also be an area exclusively for a food court with ample sitting facilities.

The stretch will also become a convergent point for the Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) that will connect Panipat to Kashmere Gate.

While the metro station, after Phase-III is operational, will provide connectivity to almost every part of the capital, including satellite cities like Faridabad in Haryana and Noida, Ghaziabad in Uttar Pradesh, special pathways to the inter-state bus terminal from the station will ensure pedestrians are not disturbed by the traffic.

The Maharana Pratap ISBT also houses a DTC bus-stand.

The area is close to the Old Delhi Railway Station and busy markets such as Chandni Chowk, Chawri Bazar and Sadar Bazar. “There are also local and inter-state taxi and auto stands in the vicinity, apart from cycle rickshaws and battery-operated rickshaws which contribute to the local transport in the area,” the official added. According to the project report of UTTIPEC, it is estimated that the interchange hub will handle about 2.95 lakh passengers by 2021, 3.98 lakh by 2031 and five lakh passengers by 2041. During peak hours, the entire transport hub will handle about 25,000 passengers that is likely to reach 50,000 by 2041.

THE HINDU