Fewer commuters than expected took new Metro line

NEW DELHI - The Commonwealth Games (CWG) opening ceremony was a resounding success, but the new Metro line from Central Secretariat to Sarita Vihar wasn’t such a great business proposition. Far fewer commuters than expected turned up on the line’s opening day.

The line attracted about 9 lakh passengers, even though it connects the city to the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium, the venue of Sunday’s CWG ceremony. Around 50,000 used the Metro station at the stadium.

A Delhi Metro official said, “The new Metro line connecting the stadium recorded a footfall of about 9 lakh commuters, but if it were a normal day, the Metro ridership would have been close to 13 lakh.”

The Central Secretariat-Sarita Vihar corridor was thrown open for commuter operations at 8 a.m Sunday. But there were not enough takers as most shops and commercial establishments were closed on account of security for the CWG ceremony.

“Although the new Metro line emerged as the main mode of public transport on which people depended for reaching the Games venue, it didn’t record a increased ridership. If it where working day or a normal weekend without any security restrictions - like closed shops - the Metro ridership would have touched the 13-lakh mark,” the Metro official said.

“Commuters made a beeline for it only in the evening to reach the Jawaharlal Nehru Stadium station — about 50,000 people used it the whole of Sunday,” the official said.

The new Metro line also saw some technical problems related to signalling and overhead electrification, due to which many commuters where left stranded for over an hour on the 15-km stretch.