Delhi’s Central Vista to get Singapore airport-style people mover; Delhi Metro stations to be revamped

Delhi’s Central Vista to get Singapore airport-style people mover! Delhi Metro stations near Central Vista to be revamped! As part of the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs’ redevelopment plan in the national capital, the Delhi Metro stations around Central Vista may get redeveloped with improved facilities. As part of the plan, the entire stretch in the Central Vista area will be revamped. Two busy Delhi Metro lines namely, Delhi Metro Yellow Line and Delhi Metro Violet Line intersect at the Central Secretariat area. Delhi Metro Udyog Bhawan and Central Secretariat stations lie in close proximity to the Vista, hence the plan to revamp the stations is also being considered.

As part of the Urban Ministry’s redevelopment plan, a people mover is being considered to provide connectivity between the 10 office buildings which are set to come up around the Central Secretariat area, according to an IE report. The people mover scheme which is being considered is similar to the ones which exist at the Dubai and Singapore airports. The revamp of the Central Vista is being headed by Bimal Patel, Architect and Urban Planner along with his team of HCP Design. During a recent presentation of the redevelopment project, Bimal Patel stated that the new offices will be designed with the concept of the Transit-Oriented Development (TOD).

As part of the TOD, effective public transport systems are being built around the high-density office spaces in order to minimise the utilization of private vehicles and also to promote public transport. In the plan laid out by Patel’s team, all of the 10 office buildings which are set to come up on Central Vista will be connected with the underground people mover which will operate in a loop, connecting all the offices with each other and also with the two Delhi Metro lines. Bimal Patel was quoted in the report saying that the basic idea is to bring all the central ministry offices in one place. Presently, 22 out of the 51 offices are located inside the Central Vista and the idea which is being worked on, is in stage development. The concept of people mover will not be a transit metro system, but an underground shuttle. This will make it possible for people to reach their offices without coming out of the Delhi Metro corridor.

A senior official of the Urban Ministry was quoted saying that they will expand the area and enhance the facilities at the two Delhi Metro stations, in order to make the TOD plan successful. Currently, the Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan stations are very cramped. The Central Secretariat station of the Delhi Metro Yellow Line was opened in the year 2005, which has very little space on the station platforms. These aspects will have to be considered if the Delhi Metro line and the people mover combination has to work with each other. The Centre and the state government have an equal partnership in the Delhi Metro, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs is the government’s nodal agency under which the Delhi Metro falls.

Source: Financial Express