21 per cent increase in Metro fleet

To deal with the addition of new sections bringing scores of commuters to its network, Delhi Metro has strengthened its crowd control mechanism by increasing trains by 21 per cent, adding new coaches and significantly reducing the number of snags. As a result of the spike, the frequency of trains has also gone up, especially on the network’s busiest lines, connecting North Delhi’s Jahangirpuri to Gurgaon’s HUDA City Centre and Dwarka to Noida. “We have added 136 new coaches to the existing trains while taking up the number of operational trains to 991, which was 819 in 2012-13,” DMRC director (operations) Sharat Sharma said.

He added that the authorities were focusing on the peak hour timings, from 8 am to 11 am. “The rush is at its highest between 9 am and 10 am. To tackle that, we are not only running more trains but directing more number of trains towards specific areas where the crowd is generally headed,” he said.

The Metro runs 190 trains at all its sections during that period, an increase of 10 from last year. Five trains are directed towards Huda City Centre on Yellow Line while 16 trains go towards Badarpur on Violet Line, he said. Overall it runs 536 trains from 8 am to 11 am, a jump of nearly 16 trains compared to last year.

The overall scaling up is significant as the rapid mass transit, currently covering a length of more then 190 km, is making forays into newer areas such Faridabad and various parts of outer Delhi as part of its Phase III expansion.

Mr Sharma said that Metro was ramping up the infrastructure in its station as well with the addition of 234 new Automatic Fare Collection Gates, 161 new ticket vending machines. He added that the number of train cancellations had come down to 639 in 2013-14 from a high of 1385 the year before and instances of delay stood at 1189 as compared to 1284 of 2012-13. “These figures may seem small but they do significantly impact the overall train services,” he said.