The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will remodel the Karol Bagh metro station in central Delhi by adding new escalators and dismantling an existing staircase to better manage rising passenger traffic. The corporation has issued a Rs 25.8 million (Rs 2.58 crore) tender inviting bids for the project.

According to the tender, three new escalators will be installed — one on the market side connecting the ground level to the concourse and two linking the concourse to the platform. At present, the Blue Line station has only one escalator and a staircase.

“The goal is to provide better amenities while managing footfall more efficiently. This station is among the older ones on the Blue Line, and although it already has an escalator, it is not located on the main market side, where footfall tends to be high. Hence, a minor internal remodelling was decided, replacing some staircase space with escalators,” said a DMRC official.

The official added that such upgrades are part of DMRC’s periodic station improvement initiatives. “A review team regularly assesses all metro stations and identifies issues unique to each. Based on the findings, modifications like those planned at Karol Bagh are approved to improve convenience and crowd management,” the official noted.

As per the tender, the selected bidder will design, fabricate, supply and erect a pre-engineered building (PEB) structure for the installation of escalators. The scope of work also includes dismantling the existing staircase and widening the current slabs to create adequate space for the new installations.

Bids for the project will be opened on 3 November, and construction is expected to be completed within eight months of the contract award.

Last year, DMRC implemented similar crowd management measures at the Sarojini Nagar station on the Pink Line. The project involved creating separate entry and exit points and installing automatic fare collection (AFC) gates to ease congestion near the Sarojini Nagar market side of the station.