ITO station inches closer to appearing on Metro map

The Delhi Metro started trial runs from Mandi House to newly constructed ITO station on the Central Secretariat–Kashmere Gate corridor under its phase 3 project on Thursday.

The first trial train on this section was flagged off from the ITO Metro station by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Managing Director Mangu Singh.

“The construction work for this underground stretch, which is part of the 9.37-km long Central Secretariat–Kashmere Gate Metro line is almost complete,” said DMRC in a statement.

“The station is expected to open for commuters after successful trials and mandatory approvals,” it added. The opening of this stretch, originally scheduled for December 2015 has been advanced and it will be a boon to hundreds of office goers at ITO.

“Apart from people commuting to their offices (police headquarters, UGC, Bal Bhawan), the ITO Metro station will also benefit sports enthusiasts who often come to watch football and cricket matches at the Ambedkar and Feroz Shah Kotla stadiums located at a walking distance,” the DMRC said.

During the trial runs, the movement of a Metro train will be checked on the tracks to ensure there is no physical blockage on the stretch, it added.

“The entire signaling system will also undergo rigorous testing. The response of the train at different speeds, braking of the train and the interconnection with the Operations Control Centre will also be monitored during the trials,” the DMRC said.

“The behaviour of the track system and the Over Head Electrification will be checked repeatedly during the trials.”

As per the detailed project report, approximately 22,000 passengers are expected to use ITO station this station by 2016. The number is likely to cross the 31,000 mark in 2021, the DMRC added.

The work on this stretch started in April 2012. The construction work, lated to be completed by July 2015, has been completed seven months ahead of schedule.The ITO station has six escalators and lifts and six entry/exit points.