In a major boon for commuters, especially those relying on public transport, a dedicated skywalk providing seamless connectivity between the New Delhi railway station and the neighbouring metro station was thrown open for the public on Saturday.

The 242-metre long modern facility will also help in streamlining the traffic flow on the Ajmeri Gate side of the railway station, officials said. The skywalk has been provided with escalators along with facilities such as CCTV surveillance cameras.

"The dedicated skywalk, constructed by the DMRC in collaboration with Northern Railway, for providing seamless connectivity between the Ajmeri Gate side and the adjacent New Delhi Metro stations on the Yellow Line and the Airport Express Line was opened for passenger use from today morning," a DMRC spokesperson said.

?The newly-constructed skywalk is an extension of the foot over bridge (FOB) inside the railway station and connects the Ajmeri Gate side of the railway platform with the New Delhi metro station as well as the multi-level parking across Bhavbhuti Marg through multiple entries and exit points.

The construction of this unique skywalk in a hub witnessing significant traffic was a major engineering challenge which was further compounded by the disruptions posed due to the COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.

"The structure had to be built above a functional underground metro station just three ?metres below, with major traffic movement on Bhavbhuti Marg. Also, the bridge had to be connected to two pre-existing building structures at the far ends ensuring minimum inconvenience to the people, infrastructure and other buildings nearby," the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said.

The New Delhi metro station is located on the Yellow Line of the network with an interchange station facility for the Airport Export Line.

With PTI inputs.