In a development that has left commuters rather perplexed, trains on the newly operationalised Magenta line of the Delhi Metro have been slowing down between the Kalindi Kunj and Okhla Bird Sanctuary stations for little over a week now.
The time taken between these two stations is about 4.5 minutes, while it was just two minutes previously. This section of the Metro runs over the Yamuna river.
In fact, since Monday, Metro has also started announcing the same — that it regrets the delay because of the slowing down of the speed.
Commuters say that the drop in speed started some ten days back. They are tense about this snag — more so because this stretch is over the Yamuna. Raju Singh, a regular commuter between Kalkaji and Botanical Garden Metro stations, agrees. “This is really scary; it’s like being stuck over the river.”
Allaying the fears, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officials said this is just a routine monitoring exercise, especially since the Magenta line is new.
A DMRC spokesperson confirmed, “This is just a temporary speed restriction to meet operational requirements and there’s no impact on the overall services and frequency of the route.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the Magenta line of the Delhi Metro on December 25 to make the commute between Noida and South Delhi speedier.
Now, it just takes 20 minutes to reach South Delhi from Noida.