Metro fare to be up from Oct 10, but ‘full’ Phase-III will ease the burden
, TNN|
Updated: Sep 27, 2017, 11.04 AM IST
NEW DELHI: The fares of Delhi Metro are going to be hiked from October 10 instead of October 1, as earlier announced by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
The new fares would range from Rs 10 to Rs 60 across different slabs, which would see an increase of 20% to 50%, with an increase of Rs 10 in each slab after a journey of first five kilometres. “The first phase of fare revision was implemented on May 10 and that is why the second phase is going to be implemented on October 10,” a DMRC official said.
The official said that while commuters might feel the pinch from October 10 but when the Phase III project is completed by March 2018, the burden of increased fare would ease a lot thanks to better connectivity, which will reduce distance between stations.
Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line (Janakpuri West - Botanical Garden) and Pink Line (Majlis Park - Shiv Vihar) are going to be opened in phases by March next year. The two corridors are constructed as ‘ring corridors’ that would connect the existing radial corridors at multiple points with interchange station.
For instance, a commuter traveling between Azadpur and Rajouri Garden now have to change trains at Rajiv Chowk, which means traversing 18 stations and paying a fare of Rs 40 (from October 10). With the opening of the Pink Line in March, 2018, commuters would be able to directly reach Azadpur from Rajouri Garden, which will mean crossing just seven stations and paying a fare of Rs 30.
The last time DMRC saw a fare revision before May this year was in 2009.
The capital intensive construction of the metro network has been possible due to a soft loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which DMRC has been paying back in installments. As a result, all the income from fare box collections and other sources are ploughed back in paying back the loan.
“As on March 31, the outstanding JICA loan to be repaid is Rs 26,760.28 crore, along with interest thereon,” a DMRC spokesperson said. “The per day operating profit earned by DMRC for the financial year 2016-17 is Rs 1.58 crore,” he said.
He said that till date, the total repayment made by DMRC on account of JICA loan is Rs 3770.79 crore, of which interest paid is Rs 2263.67 crore and principal paid is Rs 1507.12 crore.
The new fares would range from Rs 10 to Rs 60 across different slabs, which would see an increase of 20% to 50%, with an increase of Rs 10 in each slab after a journey of first five kilometres. “The first phase of fare revision was implemented on May 10 and that is why the second phase is going to be implemented on October 10,” a DMRC official said.
The official said that while commuters might feel the pinch from October 10 but when the Phase III project is completed by March 2018, the burden of increased fare would ease a lot thanks to better connectivity, which will reduce distance between stations.
Delhi Metro’s Magenta Line (Janakpuri West - Botanical Garden) and Pink Line (Majlis Park - Shiv Vihar) are going to be opened in phases by March next year. The two corridors are constructed as ‘ring corridors’ that would connect the existing radial corridors at multiple points with interchange station.
For instance, a commuter traveling between Azadpur and Rajouri Garden now have to change trains at Rajiv Chowk, which means traversing 18 stations and paying a fare of Rs 40 (from October 10). With the opening of the Pink Line in March, 2018, commuters would be able to directly reach Azadpur from Rajouri Garden, which will mean crossing just seven stations and paying a fare of Rs 30.
The last time DMRC saw a fare revision before May this year was in 2009.
The capital intensive construction of the metro network has been possible due to a soft loan from Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which DMRC has been paying back in installments. As a result, all the income from fare box collections and other sources are ploughed back in paying back the loan.
“As on March 31, the outstanding JICA loan to be repaid is Rs 26,760.28 crore, along with interest thereon,” a DMRC spokesperson said. “The per day operating profit earned by DMRC for the financial year 2016-17 is Rs 1.58 crore,” he said.
He said that till date, the total repayment made by DMRC on account of JICA loan is Rs 3770.79 crore, of which interest paid is Rs 2263.67 crore and principal paid is Rs 1507.12 crore.
(This article was originally published in The Times of India)
