Increase in frequency of trains, speed and connectivity up to Metro stations remain the prime concerns of commuters on the Airport Express Metro line even as its operation was taken over by Delhi Metro from Monday.
Commuters univocally demanded shuttle service for connecting the domestic terminal of IGI Airport from its Aerocity station and Connaught Place to Shivaji Stadium station. Though passenger footfall on the corridor remained on the lower side, a number of them also sought Delhi Metro to slash the existing fares suiting their pockets and improve train frequency.
To make the ride comfortable for air travellers, commuters demanded reworked timings according to flight schedule. “Authorities should start operations on the line early in the morning till late so that fliers have an economical and time saving option to commute during odd hours. Hiring a taxi late at night, which charges no less than Rs 1,000 from airport, becomes unfeasible for a regular flier,” said Puneet Tyagi, a resident of East Delhi, who was commuting to IGI Airport from the New Delhi Metro station.
Other commuters felt that the new operator should provide a regular shuttle service for the commuters on the corridor which, in turn, will attract more users. “The prime concern for an air traveller is to save time. So a better cab or shuttle service at the Aerocity Metro station will not only help save time but also ensure easy commute to the domestic terminal. Arrangements should also be made to provide connectivity from New Delhi and Shivaji Stadium Metro stations to Connaught Place. Being a commercial hub, a large number of commuters travel to CP to hold business discussions or meetings or just for shopping,” said Symon Wosti, who is studying at Finland and was travelling to Nepal via the national Capital.
Regular commuters expect the corridor to regain its initial speed of 105 km per hour so that they can reach their destinations faster. “The USP of the high speed corridor was its speed. With the speed of the corridor reduced to 75 km per hour, the travel time has increased. The authorities should operate the trains on their initial speed. Apart from this, the frequency of the trains should be spruced up, so that passengers are not kept waiting for 15 minutes,” said Seema Kumar, who commutes on this line from Dwarka Sector 21 to New Delhi on a daily basis.
“The daily fares as well as well as the monthly fares should be reduced. In case of the monthly passes, provisions should be made to carry forward the trip lapses to the next month. There has been a steep increase in the fares, as the last time I travelled on the corridor, I paid Rs 80 from New Delhi to Airport and this time the cost has risen to Rs 150,” said Yogesh Kumar, a resident of Noida.