Delhi: Since its initiation some two decades ago the Delhi Metro has become an integral part of the lives of many Delhiites. It is today almost become the lifeline of the city dwellers. According to reports, in the year 2021, the Delhi Metro services helped its passengers cumulatively save a mammoth 269 million hours of travel time. Thus, significantly helping them in reaching their destinations on time.
As per a study conducted by The Energy Research institute (TERI), the annual time saved by passengers will more than double to 572.5 million hours in 2031. These figures are significant since the time consumed on road by people while traveling is continuously increasing in all cities in the country.
The national capital, while grappling with the increasing pollution, has found a helping ally in the Delhi metro. DMRC helped remove over 5 lakh vehicles from the streets of the national capital daily in 2021. This figure has also increased from about 4.74 lakhs in 2019. These figures testify to the fact that DMRC also helped remove about seven lakh tonnes of pollutants from the atmosphere.
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CitySpidey talked to the daily users of Delhi Metro to take their view on the contributions of DMRC to the capital. Ishita Sharma (21), a journalist from Delhi, says, "It would be very difficult to travel in the city if it wasn't for the metro. Especially in the extreme weather of Delhi, it becomes all the more important to have a comfortable and safe mode of transportation and Delhi metro gives us exactly that. However, a few unpredictable technical issues lead to delays and it's been happening frequently in recent times. Once, I almost missed my exam because the metro was delayed. I think the authorities should pay heed to what causes such issues and avoid them in the future."
Tenzin Yangzom (25), a video editor in Delhi says, "The contributions of the metro to the environment are appreciable. Also, it does save time to travel by metro, however, it is not always a very comfortable ride. Especially at peak hours, the metro is very crowded. Getting a seat is out of question and it becomes difficult to even stand comfortably in the crowded metros. Also, it is very common to get touched inappropriately in the crowded metro and there is nothing you can actually do about that."
Meenakshi Sharma, (24), a writer from Delhi is of the opinion, "If I can get the route the bus services in Delhi right and if the bus services become a bit better, I would definitely prefer buses over the metro. The foremost reason for this is the prices. Over the years, it has become more expensive to travel by Delhi metro while it is free for women to travel by buses and even for men, the prices are very nominal."
