How Delhi is planning to manage traffic rush at Sarai Kale Khan? Agencies chart decongestion roadmap

Sarai Kale Khan is one of Delhi’s major traffic bottlenecks, especially during peak hours on weekdays.

The already busy Nizamuddin-Sarai Kale Khan transit hub in New Delhi is expected to witness an even heavier flow of vehicles once the Delhi-Dehradun Expressway and Delhi-Mumbai Expressway become fully operational. Anticipating a sharp rise in traffic, authorities have started working on a set of measures to ease congestion and improve movement in the area.

Sarai Kale Khan is one of Delhi’s major traffic bottlenecks, especially during peak hours on weekdays. The crowding is made worse by a CNG filling station located near the ISBT entry road from Ring Road, where long queues of vehicles waiting for fuel often spill onto the main road.

To address the problem, several government agencies have drawn up a coordinated plan.

Plan to decongest Sarai Kale Khan hub

One of the key steps is the remodelling of the Indraprastha Gas Limited (IGL) CNG station. According to a government official, the upgraded station will be able to refuel 26 vehicles at the same time using 13 fast-fill dispensers. Each dispenser will supply fuel at a much faster rate, allowing vehicles to move out quickly and reducing long waiting lines that currently block traffic, Hindustan Times reported.

Another important move is the widening of roads around the Sarai Kale Khan stretch, especially those running alongside the ISBT plot. These roads will be expanded into 30-metre-wide corridors to allow smoother traffic flow. The plan also includes widening the roads along the Barapullah drain and improving the connecting bridge to handle the increased load of vehicles.

In addition, a skywalk connecting the RRTS station to the Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station is expected to be completed in six to eight months. This will make it easier and safer for pedestrians to cross the busy area without adding to road congestion. For now, the PWD has ruled out extending the Ring Road flyover to the Barapullah corridor and is exploring other traffic management solutions instead.

These proposed steps were discussed at a high-level review meeting attended by agencies such as the DDA, MCD, PWD, Traffic Police, Railways, DMRC, IGL, and the Delhi Transport Department, the report said.