Metro System Provides A Lifeline For Delhiites

By M.Santhiran M.Santhiran, Bernama's correspondent in New Delhi shares his take on the Indian capital city and its unique social narrative. NEW DELHI, Oct 19 (Bernama) -- A fortnight ago my counterpart in Beijing Samantha Tan Chiew Ting shared with readers on her diary piece of the highly efficient subway system that made commuting easy for the people living in China's capital city. On this week's column, I too like to share with readers New Delhi's metro with its labyrinth of underground and above ground tracks connecting 156 stations, traversing a distance of 208 kilometres. I have my own driver here so over the last nine months of my stay I had no reason to use the metro, that is until a few weeks ago. Of late sitting in a car in New Delhi could prove to be a grueling experience whether during peak or non-peak hours, no thanks to the nearly 8 million registered vehicles commuting within the capital and the National Capital Region (NCR) areas. Recently I was late for an important appointment at the External Ministry of India due to the traffic snarl that was made worst by a public rally. This prompted me to try out the Metro System, which is the lifeline to millions of commuters here in the capital since 2002. According to Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (DMRC) that operates the Delhi Metro, the 12th largest metro system in the world and still growing, about 2.08 million commuters use the services each day. The system not only provides fast, efficient and comfortable commuting experience to Delhiites but also to key bordering cities of Noida in Uttar Pradesh and Gurgaon in the state of Haryana. TAKING THAT FIRST RIDE My first trip was from my residential area of Hauz Khas to Connaught Place, the largest financial, commercial and business centre in New Delhi. I had tried similar system in Kuala Lumpur, Singapore and Seoul in South Korea, and was relatively impressed with the ride here. Its was a comfortable ride and the trains available within 4 to 6 minutes during non-peak hours, while two to three minutes during peak hours. Electronic display in the coach and announcements in Hindi and English with other visible signage also ensure that passengers don't to miss their stations. Beside all the standard facilities as other major Metro services, Metro Delhi in so far has a good safety record. I found that while more men preferred to commute in their two-wheelers, women preferred to travel by Metro. According to some of the women who commute on the metro, the train system with CCTV and security personnel, provide better personal safety. They said with sexual assault cases against women on the rise, women felt safer in the metro trains than in other transport modes. The gang rape and murder of a student in a bus in 2012 serves as a grim reminder on how dangerous public transportation can be for women in India. Other than comfort and security, commuters in Delhi and NCR areas prefer pollution free public transport compared with the diesel powered buses and conventional train services. In fact New Delhi had taken over from Beijing as most polluted city in the world. EFFICIENT TRANSPORT MODE TO MOVE AROUND THE CITY I was surprised my inaugural ride on the metro just cost me about 32 rupees (about US$0.50), that is really cheap for a 20 kilometre distance. The moment commuters step out from any of its 156 stations, there are hundreds of auto rickshaws waiting to get them to their final destination. One can even use the apps available to hire them. It will cost between 30 and 70 rupees (about US$0.45 to US$1.10) and if one is willing to share the ride the cost will even be lower, 10 to 20 rupees (between US$0.15 and US$0.30). In Delhi and other major cities in India, its not much of a problem in getting into these auto rickshaws as long as one does not mind traveling for a short distance without the comfort of air conditioner. The metro stations here are strategically located close to major government departments, shopping complexes and residential areas that encourage more people to use the Metro train system. After the first ride, I'm looking forward to use the Metro more frequently to get to places within India's capital. -- BERNAMA