Organised and ruckus-free was mood at the Hauz Khaz metro station on Monday morning, a rarity during pre-Covid days, as Delhi metro's yellow line services resumed after a break of over five months.
At 8.00 am, the share autos were nowhere to be seen, roadside food sellers were missing and auto drivers were not waiting in groups to pounce on passengers exiting the station- something very common outside these stations across the capital.
The new addition, instead, was people entering the station wearing masks. Some even had face shields. Demarcations had been made outside entry gates to maintain social distancing, and there were posters and hoardings to remind passengers of the 'invisible' COVID-19.
'I hope nothing happens.' said an anxious Aditti. She was willing to speak for a few minutes despite knowing that she could miss her metro.
Aditti said these metros have been her 'go to' public transport in Delhi as they are pocket friendly. A resident of Sarvapriya Vihar, she spent nearly Rs 900 daily to go to her office in Gurugram back when the metro services were suspended.
The 49-km yellow line, connecting Samaypur Badli and Huda City Centre in Gurugram, was the first to reopen as per 'Unlock 4' guidelines.
Considered as a 'lifeline' for Delhiities, the Delhi Metro had its services suspended on March 22 due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic.
'Right now it looks systematic as only one line is opened. Once Delhi University (DU) reopens, that is when the real test will begin...' says Ritik, a student who was travelling from Malviya Nagar.
The yellow line, also called the 'student line' by college-goers, is a boon for those travelling to DU (Vishwavidyalaya station), Ambedkar University (Kashmere Gate station) and off-campus DU colleges like Indraprastha College for Girls (Civil Lines station).
Not confident on how things will be managed once all Metro lines resume, Ritik says he is finishing all his travel work this week itself before the 'real crowd walks in.'
For better crowd management, the trains are being operated in batches of four hours each from 7.00-11.00 am in the morning and 4.00-8.00 pm in the evening.
'I am satisfied with the measures taken by DMRC..' says Kritika. She works for a retail company in Gurugram and was taking the bus so far. 'I can't afford to travel by cabs daily and the bus takes a lot of time as I have to change two of them.'
To ensure minimum physical contact, tokens are not being issued at stations. A commuter has to get a smart card and recharge which has to be done digitally, thus putting a question on the accessibility of metros to people from all classes.
'Jeena padega corona ke saath abhi...(We have to live with coronavirus for now)' said the auto driver who dropped me at the metro station. He seemed quite happy. When asked the reason, he said resumption of metro means more 'savaari (passengers)' for him, which means more income for the family.
Though prohibited in pre-covid time as well, commuters used to find a way to eat their breakfast/lunch inside the metro coach to make full use of their travel time. But now rules have become strict. Eating and drinking remain prohibited at all cost.
Inside the coach, commuters have to sit on alternate seats and maintain a prescribed distance. Masks have to be kept on at all times during the travel.
While Day 1 of metro resumption looked smooth, barring few technical glitches reported from a few stations, the real test lies when all lines start on September 12 with a rider of 'travel only if needed.'
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