Old Delhi railway station trial run put on hold

The experimental run at Old Delhi railway station allowing entry of city buses to decongest the Shayma Prasad Mukherjee Marg outside the station has been put on on hold. 

The 15-day trial run, which was scheduled to begin last week, has been put on hold as the railways have asked the transport and traffic planning body UTTIPEC to suggest measures to relocate the parking space for general vehicles apart from the dedicated autorickshaws and taxi lanes in the circulating area of the station.   

“We have written to UTTIPEC asking them to suggest places where the parking lots, both general parking and the parking space for autos and taxis can be relocated. The plan which was suggested earlier cannot be implemented without shifting them,” said a senior Northern Railway official. 

Officials said the consultants have suggested the trial run without factoring in the volume of vehicles which are parked inside the railway premises. 

Dedicated bays

While the general parking has the capacity of parking around 300 vehicles, around 100 autorickshaws and taxis each are parked in the dedicated bays at the station. 

The new traffic circulating plan, suggested by UTTIPEC, is part of an experimental run ordered by the Delhi High Court on June 2 while hearing a petition filed by NGO Manushi Sangathan.

Railway officials said they have also asked the planning body to suggest points on the station premises where the buses could pick and drop passengers. 

The officials ruled out any major structural change at the station for the trial run. 

Railway authorities had recently implemented a new traffic plan at the station, which the officials said had in fact helped decongest traffic on SP Mukherjee Marg.

The new traffic plan, which came into effect from the first week of April, included earmarking new entry and exit points. 

Apart from that, three dedicated lanes and drop-off bays for autos, taxis and private vehicles were opened on the station premises.