Delhi Metro halted in its tracks, nuptial plans in knots

NEW DELHI: After being shut for 169 days last year to curb the spread of Covid-19, the Delhi Metro services will once again be suspended till 5am on May 17. Chief minister Arvind Kejriwal on Sunday announced that apart from the restrictions already in place, the Delhi Metro services will also be suspended during the extended lockdown.
“The current lockdown was to end at 5am tomorrow (May 10), but now this is being extended to next Monday (May 17), 5am, and will be more stringent. Starting tomorrow, the Metro services will also stop operating. Our effort is that the more stringent the lockdown is, the more rapidly we will be able to conquer Covid,” Kejriwal said during a digital press conference.

Following the announcement of the revised guidelines for restricting the spread of Covid-19, Anuj Dayal, executive director (corporate communications) of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), said, “The Delhi Metro services on all its lines shall also remain suspended for passenger or essential services from May 10 till 5am of May 17.”
DMRC has been operating trains with lower frequency for the last three weeks and only those who are exempted from the lockdown restrictions were being allowed to travel on production of valid identity cards. When the lockdown first came into effect, DMRC started operating trains at a frequency of 30 minutes during the morning and evening peak hours and at a frequency of one hour during the off-peak period. However, this frequency was found inadequate despite the much reduced passenger traffic and DMRC very soon started operating trains at a frequency of 15 minutes.
According to sources, the ridership of Delhi Metro has been growing ever since it had reopened its services in a graded manner after 169 days on September 7, 2020. The services were gradually increased to include all its corridors and went back to usual timings from September 12 with restrictions in place that required every alternate seat to be left empty and a distance of one foot between standing passengers.
According to sources, the Metro’s passenger journeys ranged between 15 and 20 lakh a day before the fresh lockdown was imposed. The average passenger journey between April 20 and May 8, however, has been just 2.3 lakh.
Other modes of transport, such as public transport buses, autos, taxis and e-rickshaws, will continue to ply with existing restrictions in place, such as 50% seating capacity in buses and two passengers in para-transits.