Delhi Metro ignores Sreedharan, set to go partially underground in phase 3

Despite DMRC’s former chief E Sreedharan admitting that underground corridors of Delhi Metro were more vulnerable to terror attacks, 30% of the total proposed Metro network in phase 3 will be underground.

Despite DMRC’s former chief E Sreedharan admitting that underground corridors of Delhi Metro were more vulnerable to terror attacks, 30% of the total proposed Metro network in phase 3 will be underground.

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“Currently, Delhi Metro has a total of 31 underground stations, which were built in phase 1 and 2. Phase 3 will have 28 underground stations,” said a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson.

Sreedharan, in December last year, had talked about underground stations at the Urban Mobility India conference.

“An underground metro rail will have five times the security risks of an elevated metro. Delhi, today, is facing a lot of terror threats and having a large underground system will be a big mistake, I personally feel,” Sreedharan had said.

Though there has not been any attack on Metro trains in India so far, metro networks have always been the preferred terror targets in other parts of the world (see box).

Despite the global trend and contrary to what the Metro man feels, the Delhi Metro will construct underground corridors of over 44 km in phase 3.

“The decision to construct so many underground corridors in phase 3 has been taken to minimise inconvenience to people. Wherever it is possible, we will go for elevated construction,” said Jitendra Tyagi, director (works), DMRC.

The longest underground section of Phase 3 will be from IGI Airport (domestic) to Kalkaji on the Janakpuri West - Botanical Garden corridor, which will be 17.29 km long. The Mukundpur - Shiv Vihar corridor will have underground lines of 14.39 km and the Central Secretariat - Kashmere Gate corridor will have a total of 9.37 km of underground lines.