Footbridge between Sarai Kale Khan RRTS, Nizamuddin railway stations to be ready by May: Officials

New Delhi, Mar 31 (PTI) The construction of a 280-metre foot over bridge connecting Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station with Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station is likely to be completed by May, officials said on Sunday.

The foot over bridge (FOB) will have six travellators to facilitate smooth, safe and comfortable passenger movement between the two stations. It will also provide access to passengers between the unpaid areas of both stations, they said.

According to an official statement, all 11 pillars and pillar caps for the FOB have been completed. Additionally, all 40 girders required for the 10 spans were prefabricated off-site using precast concrete technology.

The adoption of this technology has increased the pace of construction while reducing pollution and minimizing traffic disruptions in the densely populated area between the Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station and Hazrat Nizamuddin station, it said.

"Presently, six spans, comprising 24 girders, have been successfully launched. The launching process for the remaining four spans, consisting of 16 girders, will start shortly. Moreover, the concrete casting of slabs, which is being done at the location, has started as well. The FOB is targeted to be completed by May 2024," the statement said.

This addition is anticipated to significantly benefit commuters, including women, the elderly, children, and individuals with disabilities, especially those carrying heavy luggage, the statement said.

The FOB is designed to international standards, featuring six travellators -- three on each side -- capable of accommodating up to 12,000 commuters per hour.

Additionally, a three-metre-wide walkway will run parallel to the travellators, catering to commuters who prefer not to use them, it stated.

The construction of the Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station which is going to be the hub of multi-modal integration is also progressing swiftly, it said.

The construction at the concourse and platform levels has been completed, and pre-cast ballastless track slabs have been laid. Presently, construction of the station's roof is ongoing, with the erection of pre-engineered building (PEB) structures reaching 50 to 60 per cent completion, the statement said.

The Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station is one of the largest stations along the 82 km long Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor.

With multi-modal integration at its core, this RRTS station is strategically located in close vicinity to the Delhi Metro (Pink Line) station, Hazrat Nizamuddin railway station, and Vir Haqiqat Rai Inter-State Bus Terminus (ISBT). It will facilitate seamless intermodal integration between these modes of transport, the statement said.

Sarai Kale Khan RRTS station will serve as the converging station connecting all three corridors -- Delhi-Panipat, Delhi-SNB-Alwar, and Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut -- of the first phase, it said.

At present, a 34-km section between Sahibabad and Modi Nagar North of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridor, which includes eight stations, is operational. The construction is advancing swiftly on the remaining stretches, and the entire 82-km corridor is expected to be operational ahead of the targeted timeline of June 2025, it added. PTI NIT SMN