24 February,2011 08:46 AM IST | | Surender Sharma
A ticket from New Delhi railway station to the airport costs Rs 80, but MiD DAY tells you how to get around that, at your own risk
There is ample scope for you to enjoy a fast ride in a world class metro train for just twenty bucks. A token for Airport Metro Expressway actually costs Rs 80. But no one would bother even if you board the Metro from any of the stations on the Express Line and come back to the same one to exit.
On track: Express Metro crossing over Dhaula Kuan Ring Road in
New Delhi. Pics/Rajeev Tyagi
"If a commuter exits from the same Metro station within an hour after entering the same, he would be charged only Rs 20 even if takes an hour long ride in the Metro," said an operations official.
There is only a small problem. If you choose to go this way and get caught, you will have to pay a fine and the full fare. "If somebody is caught traveling without a valid token he would be charged Rs 200 as fine and full fare of the network for one ride," said the official.
The line was commissioned on Wednesday in the presence of Delhi Metro Chief E Sreedharan and and Lalit Jalan, director and CEO of Reliance Infra. The operations began at 2 pm and officials said that it attracted around 2,000 commuters in the next six hours. From Thursday, the trains would run from 6 am to 10 pm.u00a0
Unlike other Delhi Metro trains, the Express Line Metro will have attendants inside the trains to assist passengers. "As of now every coach has an attendant. Their numbers could be increased or decreased later," said an official.
Trains on the Airport Metro Line are completely different from the Delhi Metro coaches and have been procured from CAF Spain, the firm which supplied trains for Heathrow and Hong Kong Metro Express Lines. Every coach has several LCD screens and the trains are narrower than the ones which ply in the Capital. Passengers can check their flight status at all stations on the way. The trains have separate coaches for luggage and spacious side cases to keep their belongings.
Porters will be present in all stations to help passengers with their luggage. "For up to three pieces of baggage it will cost Rs 250. On Wednesday there were porters only at IGI Metro station. But from Thursday they will be present at every station on the route," said the official.
Men at work
Almost all the stations on the route are still unfinished and work is going on. A number of elevators are not working and passengers have to take detours as some areas have been barricaded. The approaches to Metro stations do not yet have proper directions. "Parking lots are unsafe and do not have proper staircases. Work is still going on and anybody could get hurt," said Rahul Singh, a fellow passenger who had boarded the train at IGI Airport.
Network problem
Mobile signal on the entire underground stretch of 15.7 kilometres is not available. However interestingly, only Reliance network works on the underground line. "Other operators are yet to install their towers which would soon be completed," said the official.
