On the first day, most of the office attendees boarded the disinfected cars of the rapid transit system. The trains will operate in batches of four hours each from 7 to 11 in the morning and from 16 to 20 in the afternoon.
#DelhiMetroServices | Morning rush hour at Rajiv Chowk metro station # DelhiMetro #MetroReopening #MetroBackOnTrack https://t.co/AzVJ4cCgVP
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The Delhi Metro was closed on March 22 to contain the spread of the coronavirus and, after 169 days, it resumed services on a restricted basis, respecting strict safety and social distancing regulations.
An unusually thin crowd was seen at Rajiv Chowk metro station, the busiest station in the network that serves as an interchange facility between the Yellow Line and the Blue Line.
Previously, it used to be packed with people fighting for space and competing to get in or out of train cars.
Sumitra Devi (45), a government employee who works in Connaught Place, adjacent to the Rajiv Chowk subway station, said that since the blockade was lifted, she faced many difficulties getting to work and had to take buses that were rare to get.
A Maidan Garhi resident, she said she often had to wait hours to board a bus due to restrictions on the number of passengers in a vehicle.
With the resumption of subway services, he said he can now save time and get to his workplace faster without hassle.
When asked how safe her trip was, Devi said it was “definitely different but safe.”
“Of course, I was quite skeptical, but if not today, eventually we will have to take subway trips. How long can we avoid it? I barely saw less than 10 passengers in my compartment, but I was calm,” he added.
After being closed for more than five months due to the pandemic, the Delhi Metro resumed services with reduced operations on the Yellow Line, even as both the DMRC and commuters navigated cautiously amid the new normal on the rapid transit system.
As the day started, some cyclists wearing protective masks were seen entering the facilities of key stations such as Kashmere Gate, Central Secretariat, Hauz Khas on the Yellow Line connecting Samyapur Badli in Delhi with the HUDA City Center in Gurugram.
Inside the stations, passengers were allowed to enter the concourse only after checking body temperature with heat guns and disinfecting their hands.
Furthermore, inside coaches, passengers sit in alternate seats and maintain the prescribed distance even while standing.
Hundreds of Delhi Metro ground personnel and CISF security personnel wore face shields, masks and gloves to guard against any risk of infection.
Guarav Chautala, 25, a Janpath resident who works in a mobile giant’s service shop in Gurugram, said he was “a little apprehensive” about taking a subway ride.
“But I had no other choice,” he said.
When asked how he handled the trip before this, Chautala said: “My brother, who works in Naraina, used to pick me up and drop me off on his bike at my place of work. It was very tiring. Also, we had to start from home very early. I am glad that the metro authorities have made the necessary arrangements. ”
Under stage one of the DMRC tiered plan, the Yellow Line or Line 2 and Rapid Metro went live on Monday with restricted hours of service, a senior DMRC official said.
Shivam Mittal (23), who works for an information technology company, said he arrived at the Kashmere Gate metro station in an electronic rickshaw from his home in Gandhi Nagar, east Delhi.
“Today is the first day of the subway resuming services. Before, I went to the office with my friend. My office is in Malviya Nagar. I am a little afraid, but I have no other option,” he said when entering the facilities of the massive terminal.
Only one entrance door was opened at the Kashmere Gate metro station, which is adjacent to the city’s ISBT.
Officials and staff took all precautions. At the front door, they were disinfecting belongings, including bags, a passenger said.
Rohit Tomar (30), an advocate, said he has to go to Saket regularly to attend meetings.
“I have to meet my client in Saket. The only reason I am taking the metro is the traffic problem. I took an auto-rickshaw to Kashmere Gate metro station from my home in Shahdara in East Delhi. I thought that, being Monday, there would be a lot of traffic on the roads. The DMRC has said they have taken all the important precautions, so I’m going to take the subway, “he said.
Gunjan Sharma, a GTB Nagar resident who works with an NGO, also took the metro in the morning. She was taking the bus until now.
With the resumption of subway services, the commute to work has turned into a smooth ride, he said.
“We only had five passengers in my compartment and there was enough room to maintain social distancing as there were hardly any people. It felt unusual, but I’m happy that things are finally back to normal,” Sharma said.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation resumed train services a day after the city recorded 3,256 new cases of Covid-19, the highest single-day peak here in 72 days, as the infection count rose to more than 1 , 91 lakh.
The number of new cases and active cases of Covid-19 has increased in the city in recent days.
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