NEW DELHI: Commuters were happy to get back to their favourite mode of transport, the Delhi Metro, which reopened after 169 days on Monday. Most were impressed by the arrangements and did not face any difficulty during their commute.
The number of commuters was not too high as some people are still avoiding public transport owing to fear of the virus, many especially government employees were happy to see the metro back on the track. More passengers were seen at Central Secretariat, Udyog Bhawan, INA and other stations which cater to government offices and departments.
On day one, services were resumed only on the Yellow Line from Huda City Centre to Samaypur Badli.
“The Metro is an emotion for Delhiites. It’s a lifeline for us. With services resuming, people will save time as well as money,” said Pranay, who works at CGA, INA. The 22-year-old also added that he will save `300 per day with the resumption of metro services. “I was spending Rs 200-250 everyday for one side but using metro will cost me just Rs 60 daily for both sides,” he said.
However, some people faced problems in online ticketing, payment and transactions especially in the underground stations and also last mile connectivity.
“I am very happy that metro services have finally resumed and the way DMRC and CISF managed everything is outstanding. But, they should provide better network connectivity in underground station as the whole process of buying tickets has gone online and people are struggling to pay or buy tickets online,” said Rajkumar, a government employee.
“DMRC should also resume the services of feeder bus service and all gates should open as the last mile connectivity is a problem for commuters especially women. Also, the auto and e-rickshaws are charging very high fare,” said a passenger who did not wished to be named.
While talking about the rise in number of Covid cases in Delhi, some said it was a little risky but they had no choice.
“It is a little risky. Today, there was no rush as services were resumed only on one line,” said Shaili, 29, a government employee.
DMRC has made an elaborate plan to manage the crowd and proper sanitisation measures are being followed.
Jyoti, 25, who travelled daily from Azadpur to Central Secretariat using auto rickshaws and buses, said: “It was risky to as neither the auto drivers nor the cab aggregators disinfect the vehicles after each ride. While boarding a bus, people forget there is a pandemic outbreak and they just run to catch a seat. But, there is an assurance from metro that we witnessed on the first day. Everything is organised.”