TOI: 4th May, 2011- Metro to slip under road in S Delhi

Metro to slip under road in S Delhi Not To Be Elevated Because Of Dense Traffic, Flyovers & Underpasses Rumu Banerjee TNN  New Delhi: The Phase III of Delhi Metro, covering 108km of the city, will be going through some of the most congested localities in Delhi. A nightmare in the making for residents living along the alignment? Not really.      Unlike in the past, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) this time has gone in for a judicious mix of underground and elevated corridors — a far cry from its stance in the previous phases where it proffered to go elevated. The two main corridors of the third phase, Janakpuri (west) to Botanical Gardens and Mukundpur to Yamuna Vihar, are aligned along the Outer and Inner Ring Roads, making their way through highly congested localities. Officials say that with DMRC opting to go underground in the most crowded parts of the corridors, the construction is expected to be easier than in the two previous phases.      A senior DMRC official, explaining the decision to have more than 50% of the alignment in the south Delhi corridor below the ground, said: “This line will be going through areas that are highly congested. Heavy traffic and the presence of flyovers and underpasses made us rethink the strategy to have elevated corridors here.”      Officials say that while elevated stretches make more economic sense as they are comparatively less expensive, the stretches also require far more space to work in. The official said: “Piers need to go deeper underground when the elevated stretch goes above the road and a flyover. In such an area, going underground makes more techno-economic sense.”      For residents, the decision is a welcome one. Over the years, Delhi Metro has been under fire for opting to go overground even in the localities that had congested or arterial roads, like the Moolchand stretch. In many localities, the tall piers of the elevated corridor marred the landscape, said residents. DMRC is expecting the alignment for the third phase to get more appreciation. “Better technology is available now, so the decision to go underground is easier,” admitted the official. The preference of the Delhi Metro head, E Sreedharan, for elevated corridors — as these are economically more viable — is well known in the Metro circle.