The first ride from ITO Metro station, after its inauguration at 4 pm on Monday, witnessed early arrival of commuters waiting to get the first glimpse of their much awaited ITO-Mandi House line. long queues, anticipation, chaos and excitement, this marked the first ride of commuters travelling for the first time from ITO towards Badarpur on the day of its inauguration.
The Metro line, which was expected to commence at 6 pm, saw people gathering and waiting to board their first ride saw people assembling at the station by 5 itself. Seen at the station were not only office goers, but children, elderly and youth as well. “Earlier, I used to travel by bus because Pragati Maidan Metro station is far away from my workplace, but with the inauguration of this station, this seems more convenient and hassle-free, “said University Grants Commission (UGC) employee Babita.
As the Metro services commenced at 6 pm, people started rushing towards the platform to get on their first ride. The Metro ride, which is going to ease the problem for people working in ITO, saw the excitement of office-goers in particular. However, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) staff at Pragati Maidan Metro station does not seem anxious about their decrease in footfall, reasoning that their footfall doesn’t only belong to people working in ITO, as their commuters mainly visit zoo, court and Purana Qila.
Reiterating the fact that there is a possibility that the footfall at Pragati Maidan Metro station might decrease by 40 per cent since no clear picture can be drawn from the first day of commencement of ITO metro station itself, said a DMRC official. While commuters were seen enjoying their experience of the Metro ride, auto drivers looked unhappy with the inauguration of this station. “We have been incurring losses since the inception of Metro services and now with the opening of this particular station, we might incur some more losses,” an auto driver aid. The only difference for them is now that they would not take passengers going towards ITO and will only focus on commuters towards picnic spots such as zoo and tombs near the area.