17 additional trains in Delhi Metro from Monday

New Delhi: The induction of 17 trains into the services of Delhi Metro from Monday may offer the commuters a slight respite from the constant jostling for space, especially during the peak hours in the evening.

The addition of the trains, which will be undertaking 104 extra trips during off peak (11 AM - 4.30 PM) and evening peak hours (4.30 PM - 8.30 PM) on all lines except Green Line (Line 5) and the Airport Express Line, are a part of the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation's crowd control measures.

"The move is aimed at decongesting the evening peak hour passenger rush and also to encourage passengers to avail Metro services during off-peak hours," a metro spokesperson said.

As per the new operation plan, metro's busiest routes -- Blue Line (Line 3/4), connecting Dwarka to Noida and Yellow Line (Line 2), that connects Jahangirpuri to Gurgaon -- will be served by 12 new trains.

During off-peak hours, four additional trains will run on Blue line while the same stands at two for Yellow Line. The number of trains inducted for running during evening peak hours are two and three for Yellow and Blue Line respectively. In addition to that, one train has been inducted on the Blue Line to run during morning peak hours.

After the additions, the number of trains running on these two routes will rise to 53 (Line 2) and 61 (Line 3) respectively with corresponding trips of 619 and 734. While on Red Line (Line 1), a sole additional train will run during off peak hours, three trains will ply during the same hours on Violet Line (Line 6) with another one during the evening peak hours.

According to authorities, Delhi Metro has an estimated average ridership of 25 lakh per day. From 2010 to 2014, DMRC has increased the number of coaches from 640 to 1076, an increase of almost 70 per cent across the network.

"In these years, all four coach trains on Line-2, 3 and 4 - the busiest lines of the Delhi Metro have been converted into 6 and 8 coaches and Line-1 have also got number of 6 coach trains to accommodate increased passengers," an official said.