By IANS,
New Delhi: To help avoid long queues at the exit points of Metro stations in the capital, the Delhi Metro has installed separate gates for smart card users, an official said Wednesday.
A seven-foot-long steel framed gate has been installed at the Barakhamba Road Metro station on a trial basis. Two such gates will be put up at the Rajiv Chowk station shortly.
“The traffic flow in other stations is being studied,” Anuj Dayal, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) spokesman said.
The new gates will be installed near the existing automatic fare collection (AFC) centres at Metro stations.
“Regular commuters who use smart cards complain about unnecessary delay at exit points because of token users, especially first time users. For the convenience of such card users we have installed special exit gates,” Dayal said.
“Over 55 percent of Metro commuters are smart card users. This step is a way to encourage commuters to use smart cards as its use will ensure smoother entry and exit from the Metro stations,” Dayal added.
Smart card users get a 10 percent discount on the fare and they can also avoid long queues at the token counters. Another advantage is that unlike with tokens there is no risk of being penalized for travelling beyond the authorized distance.
Apart from regular smart cards, Delhi Metro offers tourist smart cards for visitors to the city. These cards are priced between Rs.100 and Rs.250 and are valid for unlimited travel on the Metro system for three days.