Rail travail: Getting to New Delhi station can throw you off track

NEW DELHI: If you leave well in time to catch a train from New Delhi Railway Station, chances are that you will still only about make it. The reason is the approach roads — both on the Ajmeri Gate and Paharganj sides — are in a mess. The five lakh people that use the roads every day contend with thousands of cabs and autorickshaws illegally parked on the roads, often in multiple rows, and vehicles paying scant regard to the traffic signals.The station’s entry and exit roads are in poor shape, their decrepit state compounded by encroachments.

From around 6am, when most trains connecting important stations in UP and Bihar arrive or leave, cab drivers start muscling their way into the station premises to be the first to grab passengers. They create a roadblock that has a long tailback.
Paharganj
At the State Entry Road or at Paharganj, the cabbies ignore the sole traffic signal controlling the entry and exit to the station, while the road leading to the station is often taken over by rickshaws and carts selling snacks that park there leaving just enough space for one car to pass at a time. The scene is similar at the Ajmeri Gate entrance to the station, where a one-way rule for vehicles going towards Kamla Market is routinely flouted. The exit route from the station is dotted with potholes.
“There have been times when I have reached the station early after leaving home in time, but have had to spend over half an hour at the entrance because the cab drivers refuse to give way even in the presence of policemen,” said Tanushree Sinha, who often travels on business.
But passengers also suffer the consequence of autos and cabs avoiding the jams near the station. People complain that most of the time, the cab or auto drivers insist they get off some way from the station and walk the rest of the way. “The roads on both Paharganj and Ajmeri Gate sides have become virtual pick-up and drop-off points for such vehicles,” muttered Mantosh Verma, a businessman hurrying to catch a train to Mumbai. “Even if you book a cab, you will be requested to get down a kilometre away.”
The plight of car users is worsened by the DTC buses parked near the station. Even though there are bus stops on both sides of the stations, the bus drivers stop in the middle of the road if passengers flag them down.