New Delhi, Oct 1 (UNI) The Delhi Metro Railway Corporation here on Thursday urged its passengers to stagger their travel timings and pick non-peak hours to decongest and reduce the risk of COVID-19 spread.

"In recent days, it has been observed that certain sections of the Metro network (Dilshad Garden to Shastri Park; Mundka to Kirti Nagar; Kirti Nagar to Mandi House; New Bus Adda to Dilshad Garden and Escorts Mujesar to Badarpur) are showing a trend where occupancy is touching 100 per cent mark during morning and evening peak hours," the DMRC said in a statement.

"Whereas, during off-peak hours the occupancy in the same sections is in the range of 30-50 per cent only, leaving ample scope for people to stagger their travel from peak hours to the extent possible and have hassle free travel with social distancing in place," it said.

Such a pattern during peak hours, if it continues and is repeated on the other sections too in the coming days may lead to long queues outside the stations due to regulated entry which is essential for ensuring social distancing inside station premises and closing of gates etc thereby, further increasing the journey time and inconvenience during travel.

'Therefore, the general public is once again requested to ‘break the peak’ by staggering their travel timings to decongest the peak hours and avail the additional capacity available during off-peak hours for their own convenience and safety amidst the Corona pandemic,' the advisory said.

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