Delhi Metro back on track after 5 months with strict safety measures; over 15,000 take ride

Over 15,000 commuters travelled on Delhi Metro which resumed services on its Yellow Line on Monday with curtailed operations and a slew of measures for safety of passengers and employees after hiatus of over five months due to COVID-19 pandemic.

DMRC and commuters trod with caution amid new rmal in rapid transport system, which on first day of resumption did t witness usual rush, with most stations wearing a deserted look.

Juggling concerns between health and urgency to reach work, most of commuters, however, said y were happy to see metro back on track. Platforms and key hub stations, including Rajiv Chowk, were mostly empty and ambience far removed from usual hustle-and-bustle.

Station employees frequently sanitised areas of metro station and ensured social distancing rms, even as several commuters said closure of most entry-exit gates caused delay and inconvenience.

re was violation of COVID-19 guidelines at metro stations on Monday as challan was issued by police. Deputy Commissioner of Police (Metro) Jitendra Mani said police welcomed commuters on first day.

"t many people turned up due to which big garings did'nt take place inside metro premises. y were told to follow COVID-19 rms for ir own safety. We gave masks to people but most of m were aware and h alrey taken all precautions," he said.

Trains operated in batches of four-hour each from 7-11 am in morning and 4-8 pm in evening, officials said. services resumed with strict safety and social distancing measures in place. first trains left from Samaypur Bli station to HUDA City Centre station and simultaneously from HUDA City Centre to Samaypur Bli at 7 am, a senior official of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said.

DMRC said approximately 15,500 people availed Metro service till 8.30 PM on Monday. On regular days, aver daily ridership of Delhi Metro is over 26 lakhs. stations on Yellow Line were closed as ne is in proximity to any containment zone, official said.

As day began, some riders wearing protective masks were seen entering premises of key stations like Kashmere Gate and Hauz Khas. On station premises, passengers were permitted to enter concourse only after temperature checks with rmal guns and sanitisation of hands.

Hundreds of Delhi Metro ground staff and Central Industrial Security Force personnel wore face shields, masks and gloves as preventive measures against pathogen.

Inside coaches, commuters sat on alternate seats and maintained prescribed distance even while standing. Stickers were also put up on alternate seats and on platforms so that riders here to social-distancing rms. Special posters were put up inside coaches and on station premises to raise awareness, besides regular anuncements on safety rms.

Metro services in National Capital Region were closed since March 22 due to pandemic. DMRC has appealed to people to use rapid transport only if urgently needed.

In keeping with new rmal, Delhi Metro took a slew of measures to ensure least physical contact for riders, like automated rmal screening-cum-sanitiser dispenser and lift-calling system driven by a foot pedal at several stations.

Some ridders worried about risks but said y h or option.

Guarav Chautala (25), a resident of Janpath, who works at a service store of a mobile giant in Gurgaon, said he was a "little apprehensive" to take a metro ride but didn't have any or option.

Asked how he was managing commute before this, Chautala said, "My bror who works at Naraina used to pick me up and drop me off on his bike to my workplace. It was very tiring. Plus, we h to start from home very early. I'm that gl proper arrangements have been me by metro authorities." Officials of urban transporter h earlier cautioned that "trains may t stop at some of stations" if social-distancing rms were t hered to by passengers.

"This is a new rmal and an evolving scenario, so we will anyway be assessing situation as we go along," an official said. DMRC has 10 lines spanning 242 stations, and 264 stations, including Rapid Metro in Gurgaon.

Over a period of next five days, rest of lines will also be me operational with all safety measures, officials said.

A Delhi Metro employee said he h to spend more time walking to operational gate of GTB Nagar metro station as or gates were closed. gate nearer to my residence is closed. So, h to walk to gate number 5 which took extra 10 minutes, he said.

A number of people who travelled on Delhi Metro faced problems buying new smart cards or getting m recharged through cashless modes due to network issues. At many stations, including Central Secretariat, Chawri Bazar, and Chandni Chowk, passengers said re were hiccups while making online payments.

Meanwhile, with resumption of Metro services, trers raised hopes that it will increase footfall in numbers of customers, which would help m recover from losses suffered due to COVID-19 pandemic.