Delhi metro enters 2nd phase of resumption; Blue, Pink line open today

New Delhi, Sep 09: With a little more faith from its passengers with every passing day, Delhi metro on Wednesday enters the second phase of resumption as services resume on the Blue Line (Dwarka Sec 21 to Electronic City/Vaishali) and Pink Line (Majlis Park to Shiv Vihar) today. The metro trains will be operating in two batches - from 7 to 11 AM in the morning and 4 to 8 PM in the evening.

"Passengers who travelled on the Yellow Line between 7 am and 11 am were nearly 8,300. Operations went smoothly," the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) issued a statement.

"Re-opening of these two lines will ensure availability of nine of the existing 28 interchange metro stations from tomorrow as given below: Rajouri Garden, INA Delhi Haat, Mayur Vihar Phase - I, Karkarduma, Rajiv Chowk, Yamuna Bank, Anand Vihar ISBT, Azadpur and Sikanderpur," the DMRC said in another statement.

Metro services resumed in the national capital after a more than 4-month-long hiatus due to the coronavirus pandemic and lockdown.

While services on Yellow Line resumed on Monday, people remain largely confused regarding the timings.

On the station premises, passengers were permitted to enter the concourse only after temperature checks with thermal guns and sanitisation of hands.

Hundreds of Delhi Metro ground staff and Central Industrial Security Force personnel wore face shields, masks and gloves as preventive measures against the pathogen.

The Home Ministry had recently issued guidelines allowing metro services in the country to resume operations in a graded manner, following which the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) had said it would be done in three stages from September 7-12.

Metro services in the National Capital Region were closed since March 22 due to the pandemic.

The DMRC has appealed to people to use the rapid transport only if urgently needed.

Here's what you should remember:

• Wearing of masks inside train coaches and station premises is mandatory, and those found violating the guidelines would be fined by authorities.
• The metro services resumed a day after Delhi registered 3,256 new coronavirus cases, the highest single-day spike in 72 days, taking the tally to over 1.91 lakh.
• Commuters are returning to the Delhi Metro stations and coaches after a huge gap of 169 days, with COVID-19 completely changing the paradigm of operations.
• Use of Aarogya Setu App by commuters is advisable, the DMRC has said.
• In keeping with the new normal, the Delhi Metro has taken a slew of measures to ensure least physical contact for riders, like automated thermal screening-cum-sanitiser dispenser and lift-calling system driven by a foot pedal at several stations.
• Inside coaches, commuters are to sit on alternate seats and maintain prescribed distance even while standing. Stickers have been put up on alternate seats and on platforms so that riders adhere to social-distancing norms.
• Special posters have been put up inside coaches and on station premises to raise awareness, besides regular announcements on safety norms.
• The DMRC had also appealed to commuters on Sunday to "talk less inside trains to prevent the possibility of short-range aerosol transmission".
• Officials of the urban transporter had earlier cautioned that "trains may not stop at some of the stations" if social-distancing norms were not adhered to by passengers.
• "This is a new normal and an evolving scenario, so we will anyway be assessing the situation as we go along," an official said.
• In lifts, only three people at maximum can ride at a time. The stoppage duration of trains at a station has been increased from 10-15 seconds to 20-25 seconds, and at interchange facilities, from 35-40 seconds to 55-60 seconds.
• "Commuters showing COVID-like symptoms will not be allowed to travel and they will be directed to the nearest heathcare facility," the official said.
• Inside stations, entries to which have been heavily curtailed, the CISF staff performed "contactless frisking" and red lines drawn at a gap of 1 ft near automated fare collection gates and on the concourse.
• Only smart card users were allowed to travel, which can be recharged digitally without any human interface, the official said, adding tokens were not to be issued as per the plan.
• Recharge or purchase of smart cards at ticket vending machines or customer care centre will be through cashless mode only, the official said.