In a bid to make more commuters use the Airport Express line, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has decided to further reduce passenger fares by up to 50 per cent. As per the revised fare structure applicable from Friday, the minimum single journey fare on the corridor will be Rs10 against the earlier minimum of Rs20. Similarly, the maximum fare will be Rs60 against the earlier maximum fare of Rs100, Metro officials said.
This would come as a huge relief especially to commuters who may have to catch a train after landing at the airport, or vice versa, as the fare from IGI Airport to New Delhi would now come down to Rs60.
There would be a further discount of 10 per cent for the smart card holders.
Apart from that, commuters residing in Dwarka would also be one of the biggest beneficiaries of the reduced fares. Metro officials feel that if Dwarka-bound commuters shift to Airport Express line from the Blue line, it would also lead to some decongestion of the Blue line.
“The fares are being decreased to mainly encourage commuters from the Dwarka sub city to travel by the Airport Express line instead of the blue line. This will also help in decongesting the blue line, especially during the peak hours, as it is one of the busiest corridors of the Delhi Metro network. The benefit of lesser travel time on the Airport Express line will also be communicated to the passengers,” said metro officials.
The fares on this line were earlier decreased by up to 40 per cent in July last year. As a result of the measure, the average daily ridership of the corridor increased significantly from around 13,000 in June, 2014 to more than 20,000 in February earlier this year. On August 28 this year, more than 32,000 people traveled by the Airport Express line.