In a major bid to transition commuters from private vehicles to public transit, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) on Sunday announced it will deploy six additional trains to run 24 extra trips every Monday, starting May 18.
According to the corporation, these additional services are specifically targeted at handling the heavy post-weekend passenger surge and ensuring seamless, uninterrupted operations during peak travel hours across the Delhi-NCR network.
Boosting urban mobility & resource optimization
The DMRC stated that passenger demand will be monitored closely, and similar arrangements could be extended to other weekdays based on footfall trends. To comfortably manage the higher commuter volumes, the corporation is scaling up its ground infrastructure.
This includes deploying additional security personnel, opening extra ticket counters, and activating spare door frame metal detectors and baggage scanners to drastically reduce waiting times at frisking points.
The Austerity and Energy Security Directive
This operational ramp-up from DMRC follows Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s broader mandate for India to exercise fiscal discipline and resource optimization.
By maximising the carrying capacity of existing public transport assets, the move aligns with the administration’s policy to curb India’s hefty petroleum import bill and discourage inflationary private fuel consumption.
In its recently published statement, DMRC also encouraged passengers to travel via the recently rolled out hydrogen-powered bus services in the Central Vista area, supported by Indian Oil Corporation Ltd (IOCL).