To tackle traffic congestion at railway crossings, PWD plans to construct overbridges, tunnels in Delhi

Citing the example of the five-kilometre-long railway line that passes between Punjabi Bagh and Paschim Vihar on one side, and Rani Bagh and Pitampura on the other, Singh said that they will construct a railway underbridge or an overbridge, whichever is found to be more feasible.

According to officials, all the lines where the feasibility study will be conducted are manned railway crossings, which give rise to heavy traffic jams, particularly during peak hours.

“Lakhs of vehicles pass through these crossings on a daily basis for their work, businesses, schools, colleges etc. To escape the waiting time, people sometimes even risk it by crossing the line or taking long routes,” said officials. These crossings are located in North, Northwest, Outer, and East Delhi.

Officials said that PWD will conduct a comprehensive survey of the railway crossings and their surroundings, covering buildings, encroachments, trees, road signage, and other permanent structures. In addition, PWD will record estimates of vehicle flow at these railway crossings, including the total vehicle count and peak-hour load, as part of the feasibility study.

The traffic density movement at a particular level crossing is defined by the Train Vehicle Unit (TVU), which is calculated by multiplying the number of train units by the number of road vehicle units passing through that level crossing in a 24-hour period.

The study will also take into consideration any service lines in the area, including power, water, and gas pipelines, among others, officials said. Upon completion of the study, PWD will prepare a detailed Project Report (DPR), they added.

To provide relief to commuters travelling towards Southwest Delhi, PWD is also set to carry out a feasibility study for the construction of flyovers and elevated corridors along Mehrauli-Mahipalpur Road, Aruna Asaf Ali Marg, and Bawana, officials said.