Ridership to double in five yrs

Delhi Metro’s daily ridership is going to double in merely five years. In 2016, the Metro ridership is expected to get doubled, reveals a recent traffic survey conducted by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Moreover, 2016 is also the year in which its 116-km-long phase 3 is scheduled to be completed. Subhendu Ray reports.

Delhi Metro’s daily ridership is going to double in merely five years. In 2016, the Metro ridership is expected to get doubled, reveals a recent traffic survey conducted by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Moreover, 2016 is also the year in which its 116-km-long phase 3 is scheduled to be completed.

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According to the survey, over 40 lakh people in Delhi and NCR will commute by Metro in 2016 daily when the Metro — the world’s second largest urban transport network — spreads its wings to almost all parts of the region. Presently, about 20 lakh people travel by Metro daily.

The corridors in Delhi Metro’s phase 3 will cover Ring Road, the domestic airport, Vasant Vihar, Munirka, Greater Kailash and the city’s all important tourists spots along with major universities. The new corridors will cater to over 19 lakh commuters in 2016, while the existing corridors built under phase 1 and 2 would cater to about six lakh and 15.5 lakh commuters respectively after five years, the survey indicates.

With rapid hike in fuel price and massive increase in vehicular population that leads to huge traffic snarls, Metro would the most convenient mode of transport for office goers, shoppers, students, tourists and travellers, especially when it starts to provide last mile connectivity to many of them, said a senior DMRC official.

Moreover, by 2021, when phase 4 expansion is completed, Metro ridership will get a further boost by about nine lakh and will stand at 49 lakh. This in 2026 will go upto 57 lakh and in 2031 the figure would cross 66 lakh, the traffic survey report says.