The 9.6km extension of the Delhi Metro’s Red Line started passenger operations on Saturday; a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the stretch and travelled to Delhi in the first passenger train after inauguration.

The first train left the Shaheed Sthal (New Bus Adda) station at 8am with hundreds of commuters boarding the train to Delhi.

Officials of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said the trains will run from 6am to 11pm.

Passengers said they had been waiting since last several years for Metro connectivity to Delhi but the 9.6km project had got delayed.

“It was tiring journey to the Delhi University’s south campus for me as I had to change three autos from my locality to reach the Dilshad Garden Metro station to go to my college. Students, youngsters and office goers had been waiting for long for Metro operations to start from Ghaziabad city. Now, I will be able to save at least 45 minutes to one hour,” Kirti Verma, a student of Daulat Ram College, said.

The extension caters to localities such as Shaheed Nagar, Lajpat Nagar, Sahibabad, Arthala, Raj Nagar Extension and other localities in Ghaziabad. However, residents said it is a boon for those living in off-route localities such as Vasundhara and Maharajpur, among others, as well. “I had to take my two-wheeler every day to reach Dilshad Garden to board the Metro, to go my office at Kohat Enclave. This new extension will considerably help me as it is comfortable, reliable and safe considering traffic issues in Ghaziabad,” Shristi Negi, a resident of Vasundhara sector – 2B, said.

However, residents said last mile connectivity still remains a big issue in Ghaziabad.

Pooja Sharma, a resident of Dilshad Garden in Delhi, who teachers at a school in Ghaziabad’s Raj Nagar Extension, said, “I generally come by school cab but there are days when cabs are not available. In such a case, changing multiple autos to reach my school is a very tiring and a time consuming proposition. The Metro will help me get to Ghaziabad easily, but travelling further to my school is still a tedious job.”

During the media preview of the project, officials of the Delhi Metro had said that they have asked Ghaziabad authorities to make arrangements for last mile connectivity and also to terminate local city buses at the Shaheed Sthal (New Bus Adda) station.

The city is dependent on about 16,000 shared autos and rickety private buses. It was proposed that the city would get 100 electric buses but the proposal is still pending with the government.

According to DMRC officials, ridership on the extension is going to rise in the coming days.

“The response has been good. Regular train services on the line will be available from 6am to 11pm from Shaheed Sthal (New Bus Adda). However, the first train leaving the station on Sunday will be available from 8am. This arrangement is for time being as we have a buffer period during which we monitor a lot of things. The frequency on Sundays from 6am will be streamlined in the coming time,” a spokesperson from DMRC said.

First Published: Mar 10, 2019 02:07 IST