HGIEL Launches Delhi Metro’s U-Girders at Mongolpuri over Railway Line
H.G. Infra Engineering (HGIEL) this week launched two pre-stressed concrete U-girders over the Indian Railways’ line at Mongolpuri as part of the Delhi Metro Magenta Line’s 28.92 km Janakpuri West – RK Ashram extension.
This feat for the Delhi Metro Phase 4 project’s Package DC-01A was the first time U-girders have been launched over the railways’ lines in India. Until now contractors had launched steel open web girders (OWG), steel composite girders or built cantilever bridges.
But since the length to be bridged was on the shorter side, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) with permission from Commission of Railway Safety (CRS) switched to using 25.412 m U-girders.
Utilizing a 1 hour mega traffic block, both U-girders were launched on the night of February 3 between the upcoming Peeragarhi and Mongolpuri stations (view satellite imagery on Google Maps).
3.5 km Package DC-01A with 4 elevated stations between Krishna Park Extension Ramp – Mangolpuri was originally a part of the Delhi Metro Phase 4 project‘s 12.375 km long Package DC-01 (Krishna Park Extension Ramp to Haiderpur-Badli Mor Station).
DMRC had awarded its construction contract in November 2019 to China Civil Engineering Construction Corporation – KEC International (CCECC – KEC) JV with a deadline of 30 months.
Construction work was launched in December 2019 wherever a clear right-of-way was available, but portions of the Krishna Park Extension Ramp – Mangolpuri section were held up for years due to pending permission approvals to cut trees enroute. After negotiations between CCECC – KEC and DMRC, this section was offloaded from DC-01’s scope and spun off into its own separate package (DC-01A).
After a quick round of bidding, DMRC awarded HG Infra with DC-01A’s Rs. 412.11 crore contract in January 2023 with a 24 month deadline. HG’s team had cast their first U-girder at their Mundka Casting Yard in July 2023 and launched their first U-girder in Paschim Vihar in October 2023.
DC-01’s scope also includes the construction of 4 stations at Keshopur, Paschim Vihar, Peeragarhi & Mangolpuri:
HGIEL’s scope of work includes launching a total of 140 U-girders and I hear they’ve completed launching 63 of them as of Thursday. This section will be the next to open up for commercial operations on the Magenta Line after the 2.03 km Janakpuri West – Krishna Park Extension which opened in January 2025, and I imagine that will not happen until at least Q4 2026.
Back in May 2016, Larsen Toubro & HMM Infra launched an OWG roughly 4.55 km east over the same railway line for the Pink Line as part of the Delhi Metro Phase 3 project’s Package CC-28. Check out my post with images here.
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– TMRG
I thought the next section to be operationalised in Magenta line would be Majlis park- Prashant Vihar strech. The civil work of stations is at very good position over there, majority of viaduct is constructed plus track laying and OHE work is also being carried out. And I think Majlis park of Magenta line is also now connected with Mukundpur depot. So that can be opened atleast by Q12026 provided that they pace up pending works.
Also, I saw the New Alstom train for Magenta line was undergoing trials on Pink line strech between jagatpur- burari.
Hi, DMRC tends to not open stand-alone sections unless absolutely necessary like with Gurgaon section of Yellow Line. Let’s see what happens. Must have been a cool sight seeing the train!
But even if Majlis Park to Prashant Vihar section is opened, it wont be a complete standalone line like the Gurgaon one, coz it will be connected to the rest of the metro network through Majlis Park. Dont you think it would be frasible to open the line then ?
It’s true that this section is stand alone section, is not connected with rest of the Magenta line (even though this has happened in phase 3 with pink line as well), but the fact is Majlis park is itself a Pink line station and the station after the next is Haiderpur Badli mor providing interchange with Yellow line as well. So, with this (Majlis park – Prashant vihar) Atleast North Pitampura, bhalaswa residents would benefit a little. That’s a different thing, that It’s a small, Not much important strech so definitely ridership would be poor. Rest, it all depends on them. Construction Work is more than half done in this strech as of now with OHE, Track laying, PSD work in progress.
Aditya / Yash, that’s true – it’ll still be connected to the rest of the network. Let’s see what happens
Rithala to kundli. Kab kam chalu hoga iska
Thanks to team TMRG for information and valuable input, we are associated with this project DMRC DC-01A