In December 2002, when Delhi Metro began its services in the national capital, it was projected that it would revolutionise urban mass transportation in the country. A network spanning 296 km with a fleet of 280 coaches connecting 214 stations, Delhi Metro is one of the biggest growth stories of urban India. But this year, DMRC recorded a massive decline in ridership.
According to a report by Centre for Science & Environment, Delhi Metro has transported nearly 32 percent fewer daily passengers than it had hoped to serve this year. The study adds that there has been an approximate drop of 4.2 lakh passengers.
But why don’t Delhiites prefer travelling by Delhi Metro anymore?
The reason is simple – High fares
Last year, the fares were revised in two phases in May & October by the Fare Fixation Committee. The ticket rates almost doubled. For instance, a passenger who earlier paid Rs 30 for a ride from Badli in north Delhi to Gurugram, had to pay Rs 60. DMRC then justified it by saying that it needs to keep up with the rising operational costs. The fare hike sparked a volley of reactions and protests. But it ended up being just another Centre-versus-state war of words.
Delhi Metro is unaffordable
The CSE report also says that Delhi Metro is the second-most unaffordable urban rail network among those that charge less than a half a dollar for a trip, which basically means it costs Rs 36 for each trip. It basically means that average Delhi commuters spend 14 % of their household income on Metro travel.
Higher revenue but lesser ridership
In August this year, Minister of Urban Development Hardeep Puri said that DMRC’s revenue increased by 74% since 2014. But that’s only because of the fare revision last year coupled with the expansion of the network. So the increased revenue clearly doesn’t mean that Delhiites have switched to the metro.
Why should you be worried?
Apart from the metro, Delhiites don’t have much to rely on since Delhi Transport Corporation only has half the number of buses it needs. On the other hand, Delhi has more than 1 crore registered vehicles and on an average, 1975 vehicles are bought daily. In a city which is routinely ranked as the most polluted in the world, making people switch to private vehicles will come at a very heavy cost.
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