All corridors in the DMRC network are now operational.
New Delhi:
The Delhi Metro resumed full services on Saturday, with the Airport Express line reopening after a hiatus of more than 170 days due to the COVID-19 pandemic.
More than 1.5 lakh people had made use of the metro services in the different corridors as of 7:30 PM. Of these, 2,268 people used the airport line, said a senior official with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
All corridors in the DMRC network are now operational and services will follow the pre-coronavirus schedule: 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.
“With the resumption of service on the Airport Express Line, all lines in the Delhi Metro network are open! Remember to follow the guidelines when traveling. #MetroBackOnTrack,” the DMRC said in a tweet earlier that day.
The DMRC said about 200 passengers were counseled for not wearing face masks correctly.
In addition, 114 passengers were fined 200 rupees each for violating social distancing rules or not wearing masks or face covers inside trains, it said in a statement.
Many commuters said they felt safe riding the subway.
Shahjahan Khan (29), who works with a private company in Seelampur, said: “I think it is safer to travel by metro with the necessary measures and, more than anything, it saves time and money,” he said.
Before the resumption of subway services, he used to commute to work in a taxi or autorickshaw, he said.
Sangeeta Verma (45), a housewife, who had to leave due to a family emergency, said: “Many of my relatives who have traveled in the subway said that it was safe since the authorities had taken all the security measures. I thought why not give it a try. “
“How long can we wait for the situation to normalize? We have to leave, if not today, tomorrow,” said Verma, a Dwarka resident as she exited the Rajiv Chowk subway station.
Metro services in Delhi and the National Capital Region were shut down on March 22 to control the spread of the coronavirus.
The Home Office had recently issued guidelines allowing the Delhi Metro to resume operations in a phased manner, after which the DMRC had said it would be done in three stages from 7 to 12 September.
The Delhi Metro resumed its services on Monday with the reduction of the operation of the Yellow Line and Metro Rapid. The second stage began on Friday with the Magenta and Gray lines that also opened their doors to travelers and the hours of service were extended.
The third stage came into effect as of Saturday and the subway services date back to the time before COVID-19.
Now that services have resumed on all lines, the DMRC will henceforth only release the “line utilization” figures as was done prior to closure. These figures reflect the actual use of the metro system distributed over 400 km with 28 interchange stations.
On Sunday, the DMRC will begin its services two hours before normal 8 a.m. to make it easier for students to sit for the NEET test on September 13.
“This Sunday, September 13, Metro operations will begin at 6:00 a.m. In all sections. As of next Sunday, September 20, regular hours according to the previous schedule with services starting at 8:00 A.M. Phase 3 sections (Sunday) will continue. #MetroBackOnTrack, “the DMRC said in a tweet.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is posted from a syndicated feed.)
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