Delhi Metro online, like New York subway

Stranded at Tilak Nagar at rush hour, evolving a strategy to reach Noida in time for a business meeting? Stumped when the clerk at the station asks for the exact change for a ticket from Pitampura to Dwarka?, reports Aasheesh Sharma.

Stranded at Tilak Nagar at rush hour, evolving a strategy to reach Noida in time for a business meeting? Stumped when the clerk at the station asks for the exact change for a ticket from Pitampura to Dwarka?

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A new web and mobile application, launched on Thursday, will tell you that the journey to Noida will take 48 minutes plus walking time and cost you Rs 25. Also, the fare from Pitampura to Dwarka works out to Rs 29 and that you would have to change trains at Kashmiri Gate and Rajiv Chowk.

Google Transit, launched by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and Google India on March 4, can help tourists and travellers figure out stations en route their destination, the exact fare, the time taken and more.

With Google mapping the city’s lifeline, Delhi joins metropolises such as New York, London, Paris, Zurich and San Francisco among more than 150 cities worldwide.

Close to one million people use the Delhi Metro every day. Metro trains make 1500 trips across 85 stations spread over the National Capital Region.

In time for the Commonwealth Games in October, two million people would begin to use the city’s lifeline, estimates the DMRC. The number of stations will go up to 150.

“Information on train timings, station locations, frequency of service, time taken for travel and ticket fares will be very handy when we are waiting to host the world in the Commonwealth Games,” says software engineer Avaneesh Kukreja, 39, a resident of Vikram Nagar.

Beyond just directions, the feature also promises the user a taste of what to expect near the Metro station.

“If you are travelling to Noida Sector 18, for instance, a sub-feature called Search Nearby will tell you the popular restaurants around the station, down to expert reviews, pub numbers, cinemas and even ATM machines,” says Google India Product Manager Manik Gupta.

“This will help commuters better manage their travel time, transfers, and make more informed decisions,” Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Managing Director E Sreedharan said in a statement.

With work on the remaining sections of the Delhi Metro happening at a frenetic pace, Google plans to keep up with it. “As soon as the DMRC launches a new section, we would to map it within weeks,” adds Gupta.