Delhi Metro gains from traffic jams, fewer buses

Over 15 lakh people used the Delhi Metro in a day to escape the huge traffic snarls on key roads with some fast lanes dedicated to the movement of Commonwealth Games athletes and in view of fewer and overcrowded buses, an official said Tuesday.

The Metro recorded a ridership of 1,556,563 Monday, surpassing the Sep 6 figure of 1,444,023, a Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesperson said.

Of all the lines, the Metro's corridor connecting Dwarka's Sector 9 with Noida City centre recorded the maximum ridership at 562,646, followed by the Jahangirpuri-HUDA City Centre (Line 2). Line 2 witnessed a footfall of nearly 531,337 through the day while Line 1 from Rithala to Dilshad Garden recorded a ridership of 288,276.

The spokesperson said that Metros ridership is set to reach a record high in the coming days with the opening of the Airport Express Link and the Central Secretariat-Badarpur stretch and also due to the Oct 3-14 Commonwealth Games.

The total ridership of Delhi metro has been consistently increasing for the past three months, showing a nearly 44 percent rise. The ridership was around 10 lakh in May earlier this year.

Currently there are over 130 trains in operation on five lines of the metro with a new train being added on the system every 10-15 days, the spokesperson added.

The Delhi Metro trains make over 2,300 trips, over a nearly 138 km-network.

Long lines of traffic were seen in the city as the traffic police enforced the dedicated lanes for Commonwealth Games-related vehicles and forced over 1,500 Blueline public transport buses off the road, leading to a shortage of buses.

Over 1,500 Blueline buses plying on 132 routes, mostly passing through central Delhi and near the Games venues, were taken off roads from Sunday till Oct 16 to ease traffic congestion.