New Delhi, December 29: The Delhi Metro has set a new engineering marvel with the construction of the smallest station in the world. The latest metro station – Ashram Metro station – which is a part of the 9.7-km section of the Pink Line connecting Lajpat Nagar and Mayur Vihar pocket-I is opening for the people of the national capital on Monday at 4 pm and is just 151.6 metres long.

With the station, the Delhi Metro has set the new standards for the constructions of essential projects in the megacities across the globe, where the land is minimising with each passing day. The Ashram Metro station – situated at the heart of the city – has diminished the standard length of the underground station by 113.4 metres, considered as an engineering marvel. Till now the smallest Metro station in Delhi was Bhikaji Cama Place, having a length of 225.5 metres. Delhi Metro: Pink Line's Lajpat Nagar-Mayur Vihar Stretch to Open on Dec 31.

Stating the reason for decreasing the length of the station, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) official claim that they had to fight several land acquisition battles. Instead of fighting legal battle, the DMRC came with a design to make the station vertical, against the earlier horizontal model.

Briefing more, a DMRC official said, as reported by the Hindustan Times, “There was a private land that we could not acquire. Instead of waiting for two years battling the court case and delaying line, we came up with the new design.”

Design:

After thinking a lot, a unique design was prepared by DMRC. Ashram Metro station has three entry/exit gates — National Agricultural Cooperative Marketing Federation of India (NAFED), the fire station at Mathura Road, and CSIR apartments. The station has three-levels to welcome commuters – platform, concourse and mezzanine floor. The tickets will be sold, and security checks would be done on the mezzanine floor.

Among other unique parts of the Metro station include – operation room at platform level, chiller room (where the

temperature of the station is controlled) constructed below the Ashram flyover instead of inside the station, and tunnel ventilation fans, the auxiliary substation rooms, and the environment control systems have been moved above the platform.

The Delhi Metro has also given importance to the PWD underpass with their design. It has left 20 metres space on the concourse area — from where an underpass constructed by the Public Works Department (PWD) – would cross. This underpass would connect the Nizamuddin flyover with Mathura Road near the CSIR apartments. For creating this space, the DMRC has divided the station into two sections, and the artwork had masked it.

Theme:

The newest station will greet the commuters with its eye-catching artwork that revolves around the theme of ‘mother and child’. Also, the colour theme conveys the idea of ‘abundance’.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Dec 29, 2018 07:25 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).