Day 1 tally: 30,000 riders

With only 30,000 people riding the Metro, the number was much less than the staggering 80,000 passengers the Dwarka-Noida line had witnessed on its first day on November 12, 2009.

The first day of the Metro line between Gurgaon and Delhi was mostly a joyride day. With only 30,000 people riding the Metro, the number was much less than the staggering 80,000 passengers the Dwarka-Noida line had witnessed on its first day on November 12, 2009.

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The true popularity of the Metro line will only be known once the complete line — from Gurgaon to the Jehangirpuri — opens in August. On a daily basis, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation expects at least 1.6 lakh passengers to use this line crossing 36 stations in 70 minutes and covering 45 km.

“We cannot tell the volume of traffic on the Qutab Minar-Gurgaon corridor now. This corridor will not start getting us profits until July-end or August when the full section opens,” said a DMRC official.

Passengers traveling between Gurgaon and Delhi said traveling on the truncated line was not economical. “My office is at Barakhamba Road and I live in Gurgaon. If I take the Metro, it is only halfway to my office. I’ll have to spend another Rs 100 to get to my office,” said Ashish Chadha.

DTC is running connecting bus services from Qutub Minar Metro station to Central Secretariat Metro Station from 6.15 am to 11.45 pm daily. “But it is not convenient. Who wants to ride a bus and travel 15 km after stepping out of an air-conditioned metro?” asked Chadha.