New INA station to be South Delhi’s major interchange hub

The new INA Metro station to be built under Phase-3 is going to be unique from the construction perspective.

The new INA Metro station to be built under Phase-3 is going to be unique from the construction perspective.

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The platform of the station, which is planned adjacent to the existing INA station, will be constructed above the concourse — for the first time in Delhi Metro. It is because of variation in the height of the existing station and the new one owing to an already existing Metro tunnel at the location, said Delhi Metro officials.

“The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has modified the station design to adjust to the new situation. For the convenience of passengers, the station will have five entry/ exit points, with three of them being planned for the new station,” said DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal.

The new INA station will be a major interchange hub of south Delhi, linking the existing Jahangirpui-Gurgaon corridor and the upcoming Mukundpur-Yamuna Vihar line, he added.

The operational INA station provides connectivity to three major shopping attractions of south Delhi — Sarojini Nagar, INA Market and Delhi Haat.

With the new station, residents from north, west and east Delhi localities such as Mukundpur, Rajouri Garden and Mayur Vihar, among others, will be able to come to these shopping destinations directly.

“At present, residents of these far-flung areas find it difficult to visit these centres due to inadequate alternative public transport facility. Students travelling between north and south campuses of Delhi University (DU) will also be able to commute easily by Metro by using INA as an interchange station,” said Dayal.

Besides, residential areas of Sarojini Nagar and Laxmi Bai Nagar will benefit from the new station as it will provide connectivity to almost all parts of the Capital (Vishwavidyalaya-Jahangirpuri in the north, Hauz Khas-Qutab Minar-Gurgaon in south, Rajouri Garden-Mayapuri in west and Mayur Vihar-Anand Vihar in east).

As per the Detailed Project Report, the daily interchange load of this station will be 1.30 lakh in 2016. At present, the daily footfall at the existing INA station is about 37,000.