Delhi Metro finally chugs into heart of Walled City

NEW DELHI: For Nikita Pradhan, a resident of south Delhi’s Satya Niketan, visiting the Sunday book market at Daryaganj had always been a struggle. On Sunday, however, the DU student visited the market without much hassle, all thanks to Metro’s Heritage Corridor.
The 5.17km corridor, with four stations linking ITO to Kashmere Gate, was thrown open to the public on Sunday noon.Sunday being a holiday, the corridor saw a ridership of 9,806 from 12 noon till 8pm. Lal Quila was the busiest with a footfall of 3,472, followed by Jama Masjid (3,107), Kashmere Gate (2,073) and Delhi Gate (1,154). Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) expects a daily footfall of 90,000.
Earlier in the day, the line was officially flagged off by Union urban development minister M Venkaiah Naidu and chief minister Arvind Kejriwal. At noon, a train bedecked with flowers started on its maiden commercial journey from Kashmere Gate, while another from ITO left for Kashmere Gate almost simultaneously. On board were tourists, students, shoppers and locals.
Among those on the maiden trip was Vipin Sen, a tourist from Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh, along with his family. “We had planned to visit Red Fort on Sunday and got to know about the new service. The journey has been very comfortable and smooth and I don’t think there could have been a better travel option for tourists like me,” he said.
Besides the spic and span stations, commuters were greeted with art panels showcasing the legacy of the historical monuments and areas the corridor passes through.
The line have not only brought the eastern end of Walled City and several 17th century monuments on the Metro map but also provided an alternative route to those travelling between south and north Delhi.
What intrigued many commuters were the new ‘dream gates’ at Lal Quila and Jama Masjid, where entry and exit are possible through smartphones using QR codes. In another first, DMRC has made the automatic fare collection gates at the stations open, with the flaps closing only if a commuter tries to enter or exit without a token or a smart card.
Naidu said Metro had revived Walled City a decade ago when it reached Chandni Chowk. The new corridor will provide further boost to the area’s economic development and also connect Faridabad and nearby areas with Walled City. “Our aim should be to integrate transport and provide last-mile connectivity.” People should not resist tariff hikes as it is needed for sustainable growth of transport infrastructure, Naidu added.
Kejriwal said the Centre had always cooperated with the Delhi government on issues concerning Metro.