In govt’s road redesign plan Increase frequency in lean hours: CM to Metro
Chief ministerArvind Kejriwal has asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) to maintain peak-hour frequency of its trains even during the morning and late evening hours.
The move, which will come as a boon for thousands of commuters if implemented, is aimed at attracting more people to use the Metro and help in decongesting the city.
The chief minister on Saturday said he had also asked the DMRC to submit a proposal about the time and capital required to convert the entire fleet of Metro into eight-coach trains.
The Metro on most of its existing lines, operates at a frequency of 2-3 minutes during peak hours. This frequency, however, plummets to 7-8 minutes during the morning and the late evening hours. Overcrowding and frequency of trains were two of the main problems that Hindustan Times had highlighted during a six-part series last week.
“Several people have told me that they have stopped travelling by the Metro due to overcrowding. We need to attract such commuters back. During a meeting recently, I asked DMRC to increase its train frequency even during non-peak hours. Metro officials, however, told me that it will be difficult to do so due to some maintenance issues. So I told them to ensure peak hour frequency, even during non-peak hours, for at least three months. We can review the situation later,” Kejriwal said.
Metro officials said they were in the process of increasing the frequency. “We have added 120 trips during the non-peak hours to minimize the frequency gap. Unlike earlier, when about 20 trains used to be pulled out for maintenance during the non-peak hours, they now continue to operate during the morning and evening hours,” a metro spokesperson said.
The Metro witnesses an average daily footfall of around 25 lakh passengers. But travelling by the Metro is fast becoming a difficult process, especially during office hours, due to a number of reasons. This has forced several commuters to switch back to their private transport. PWD Minister Satyendra Jain said the state government has also asked the DMRC to make arrangements to ensure that the capacity (passenger) estimates for 2013 should be achieved in 2018.