Metro Phase-III rolls on

Preliminary work of conducting topographical and geo-technical surveys on Central Secretariat- Mandi House line gets goingFor Metro commuters who deal with heavy rush while changing trains at Rajiv Chowk station, there is a good news. The Delhi Metro has started work on the first line of Phase -III, the Central Secretariat- Mandi House line. Once completed, it will make Mandi House another interchange station, thereby easing pressure on Rajiv Chowk station.u00a0 A senior Metro official told MiD DAY that preliminary work of conducting topographical and geo-technical surveys and finalising designs for the new stations is already underway. These works need to be completed before the construction work starts. We have floated tenders and as soon as we get Central Government's nod, the tender will be awarded, said the official.u00a0u00a0 The line is to be completed by 2014, a year ahead of other lines that are to be constructed under Phase-III.u00a0 The two stations on the line, Janpath and Mandi House, will provide connectivity not only to those commuting through HUDA City Centre-Badarpur and Noida /Anand Vihar lines, but also provide a much-needed link to Connaught Place's busy office and shopping centre. It will take two years to complete the line up to Mandi House and later the same line will be extended to Red Fort. Work on the line is being taken up on priority as it would help decongest Rajiv Chowk Metro station which is currently only interchange station on Delhi-Gurgaon line and Dwarka-Noida/ Anand Vihar Line, said the official.The Rajiv Chowk station registers a footfall of over five lakh passengers every day. The Mandi House station will be around 250m wide and will allow commuters access not only to Noida-Dwarka Sector 21 line but will also act as a subway.u00a0 The official said that while the civil work will cost Rs 450 crore, total cost of the entire 3.2-km corridor will be Rs 800 crore that includes signalling and other works. Routes cleared Delhi Government has cleared three routes- from Central Secretariat to Red Fort (6.8 km), Rajouri Garden to Mukundupur (12.4 km) and Jahangirpuri to Badli (3.4 km) in October.The routes on which the Metro has been asked to rework are Anand Vihar to Dhaula Kuan to be extended till Rajouri Garden, Sanjay Gandhi Transport Nagar via Jamia Nagar, Pitampura, Badli and a few other stations to Noida (44.85 km) and Ashok Park to Delhi Gate.