Old Delhi station trial run to start on Saturday

To decongest Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Marg outside Old Delhi railway station, buses will enter the station premises to pick and drop commuters starting Saturday.

The initiative is part of a 15-day trial run suggested by transport and traffic planning body UTTIPEC. The Delhi High Court had ordered the trial run on June 2 while hearing a petition filed by NGO Manushi Sangathan.

To conduct the trial run, the traffic police and railways have planned to relocate parking space of taxis to the general parking area.

“Since buses will use the taxi lane to pick and drop passengers, taxis will be parked in the space that is currently used as a general parking,” said joint commissioner of police (traffic) Satyendra Garg.

“All buses approaching SP Marg will compulsorily pick and drop passengers from the station premises,” said Garg.

Traffic police officials said at least 15 buses can park at a time in the taxi bay. With taxis being parked in the space for general parking, other cars will either have to be parked in the premium parking lot or move out after dropping passengers.

The new circulating plan for the railway station was cleared in a meeting called by UTTIPEC on Monday, which was attended by railway and traffic police officials.

The trial run was supposed to start in mid-June, but it got delayed after the railways objected to the new traffic plan suggested by UTTIPEC. 

Railway officials had written to UTTIPEC, asking to suggest the place where parking space for autorickshaws could be relocated.