Delhi’s Sarojini Nagar Metro station gets different entry, exit points
DMRC said the changes were introduced to control the passenger rush on the west side of the station, nearest to the Sarojini Nagar market, where long queues were becoming a frequent occurrence
New Delhi: Sarojini Nagar Metro station, one of the busiest stations on the Pink Line, now has different points for entry and exit along with additional automatic fare collection gates, to cater to the large footfall at the station.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said that the changes were introduced to control the passenger rush on the west side of the station, nearest to the Sarojini Nagar market, where long queues, both inside and outside, were becoming a frequent occurrence. The remodelling of the station commenced nearly eight months ago, while the changes became operational earlier in April, DMRC said.
As part of the remodelling, DMRC said that passengers can now only enter from gate number 1 (west side) of the station, with the number of AFC gates there being increased from the existing six to 14. Exits at the station will now only take place from gate number 2 (east side), which was earlier seeing limited passenger activity compared to the west side.
“As part of the remodelling initiative, gate number 1 has been designated for commuters’ entry only. The increase in AFC gates from- 6 to 14 will also ease the inflow of commuters and reduce the waiting time for entry,” said Anuj Dayal, principal executive director, corporate communications, DMRC. Dayal said that more door frame metal detectors (DFMD) and luggage scanning machines have also been installed.
“Since around 70% of passengers at this station are female, four dedicated DFMDs have been installed for female passengers, and two for male passengers,” he said. A primary reason for the high number of female footfall is also owing to the proximity to two women’s colleges – Jesus and Mary College and Maitreyi College – apart from Delhi College of Arts and Commerce, which is co-ed.
The Sarojini Nagar Metro station sees high passenger footfall, especially on weekends, holidays, and during festivals and has a daily average footfall of around 38,000 on weekdays and 65,000 on weekends and holidays.