Ridership at all time high as rains continue to lash Delhi

Metro rakes in rain moolah

Ridership at all time high as rains continue to lash Delhi

Monsoon rains, waterlogged roads and the fear of getting stuck in traffic jams prompted thousands of people to hop onto the Metro in the last one week, with ridership crossing 13.5 lakh on Wednesday.

The figure, which is around 11.5 lakh on an average week day, touched the 13 lakh mark twice this week on Monday and yesterday, thus generating additional revenue for the already profit-making Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

As the skies opened up early morning on Wednesday, people parked their two-wheelers and cars and opted for a Metro ride to reach their destinations on time without having to worry about waterlogged roads and traffic jams.

A total of 13.60 lakh passengers travelled on all five operational lines of the Delhi Metro yesterday, which surpassed the previous record of 13.12 lakh on Monday. Though DMRC officials refused to divulge the total and additional revenue generated yesterday, it is understood that the organisation might have earned a minimum of Rs 30 lakh due to the rush on Wednesday.

The sudden spurt in ridership is primarily attributed to the monsoon rains, which lashed the city continuously for six days, and the waterlogged roads across the Capital.

Currently, over a hundred train-sets are in operation on the five lines of Delhi Metro with a new train being added on the system every 10 to 15 days. Delhi Metro trains are today traversing over 40,000 kilometres in a day making over 2,000 trips on the five operational lines covering 125 kilometres.

Vital stats
On Wednesday, Metro's over-crowded Line 3 (Dwarka Sector 9 to Noida City Centre) recorded the maximum ridership at 4.29 lakh, followed by Line 1 (Rithala-Dilshad Garden) at 3.13 lakh and Line 2 (Jahangirpuri-Central Secretariat) at 3.12 lakh. The total ridership figure of the Delhi Metro has been consistently crossing the 11 lakh mark (1.1 million) in the last few months, but this week, the ridership has crossed the 13 lakh mark twice.