NEW DELHI: Dalbir Singh has 20 minutes to catch the New Delhi Amritsar Swarna Shatabdi Express. As he approaches the New Delhi railway station from the Paharganj side , his cab moves at a snail’s speed due to the long jam . He decides to ditch the taxi and walk the remaining 500 metres.Like Singh, there are thousands of passengers who face a similar situation every day, what with roadside vendors and unauthorisedly parked vehicles laying siege to the area. Come December, however, access to the station promises to be easier, thanks to a new skywalk and a wider road leading up to the platform at Ajmeri Gate. Northern Railway officials said they also planned to deploy a task force to clear encroachments.The station is undergoing renovation — both in terms of external appearance and passenger amenities — and has already seen work commence on decongesting the Ajmeri Gate side. To start with, a number of key buildings have been “shifted” to allow a direct access road for cars to drop off and pick passengers opposite platform 16.Taxis and autos will soon be moved to a designated parking zone in place of the current “lane” system. “Accessing the entrance was becoming a huge problem. While entering the station from the Ajmeri Gate side, people would get stuck due to the zigzag design. We have looked to rectify that by building a direct access road from Bhavbhuti Marg, which will open in front of the platform,” R N Singh, divisional railway manager, Delhi division, said.Singh said work on the road had begun with the project deadline set around December. Simultaneously, work is under way on a skywalk with the help of DMRC so that metro commuters don’t have to cross the road to reach the station. The first phase of the skywalk, to be completed by December, will connect the exit of the metro station on Yellow Line. The second phase — slated to be finished by March 2019 — will see the skywalk being extended to the Airport Express Line building.Officials said they had written to Delhi Police and north corporation to remove unauthorised vendors near Paharganj and a task force would now be deployed to ensure the access was made smoother.Vishwesh Chaube, general manager of Northern Railway, said the station should sport a new look soon. “Once completed, the station should have better facilities, pleasing aesthetics and easier access,” he said.

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