By IANS,
New Delhi : People’s response to the Delhi Metro’s Yamuna Bank-Noida section that opened Friday surpassed all expectations as nearly 74,000 passengers travelled by evening, an official said.
“By 6 in the evening, the ridership was around 73,797 and the earning was around Rs.9.69 lakh. The ridership is expected to cross the 90,000 mark by night,” a Delhi Metro official told IANS.
The DMRC had estimated that 53,000 passengers will be added to its daily number of 900,000 commuters with this new section.
“The first rush can be attributed to the joyrides. The real estimate will now only be clear after the trade fair,” the official added.
As counters opened Friday morning, there were queues right from the start and till late in the evening. Office-goers and young students were overjoyed that the Metro had finally reached after months of delays owing to safety audits.
People were happy to bid adieu to a harrowing bus ride in exchange for the smooth, quick Metro ride.
Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), which is responsible for the Metro’s security, has also deployed 250 personnel for the new stations.
“250 CISF personnel have been deployed from Friday for security at the Metro stations. There will also be quick reaction teams at Delhi and Noida border to tackle any untoward situation,” a CISF official said.
The Yamuna Bank-Noida City Centre Metro is an elevated stretch and has 10 stations. This east Delhi segment was integrated with the existing line towards Dwarka Sector-9 in southwest Delhi. Prominent stations include Akshardham Temple, two stations in Mayur Vihar, Noida Sector 15, Sector 16, Sector 18 and NOIDA City Centre at sector 32.
Commuters from the last stop – Noida’s City Centre – can land right in the heart of the national capital at Connaught Place’s Rajiv Chowk Station in a mere 36 minutes.