In view of the high ridership observed on the eve of Raksha Bandhan, Delhi Metro has decided to run around 300 extra train trips on August 19 and 20. Additional security personnel will also be deployed to cater to the rush of commuters expected on these two days, a DMRC spokesperson said.
“Trains will be run at peak-hour frequency from 8 am to 8.30 pm on August 19 and 20 and trains which are normally withdrawn from lines during off peak hours (11:30 am to 4.30 pm) will be kept in service to perform around 300 extra trips, making a total of about 2,900 trips on that day,” the spokesperson said. DMRC will also deploy additional security guards and Customer Facilitation Agents (CFA) at major metro stations including Jahangirpuri, Adarsh Nagar, GTB Nagar, Yamuna Bank, Uttam Nagar East, Nawada, Noida City Centre, Botanical Garden, Noida Sector-18, MG Road, HUDA City Centre, lajpat Nagar and others to help and guide commuters on these two days.
“In addition, extra personnel will be deployed to handle the increased load on the ticketing system and the Metro ticketing staff in 75 stations will do 123 additional shifts,” the official said. Delhi Metro witnesses great rush of commuters on the eve of Raksha Bandhan. In 2012, over 22 lakh passengers took the subway a day before Rakhi whereas close to 20 lakh took the subway on the day of the festival.
Keeping in mind the expected heavy rush of commuters, the Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) has also decided to deploy all its buses and cluster buses on road for the convenience of passengers. The lady passengers will be allowed free travel on DTC non-AC buses and cluster buses operating within Delhi or to towns within the National Capital Region (NCR) between 8 am and 5 pm on August 20. This facility will not be available for AC and Inter-State buses headed to towns beyond NCR area.