The ride started from New Bus Stand Metro station at 8 am, and heavy rush could be seen at the station.
It was the first ride of the Red Line Metro corridor and residents of Ghaziabad availed of the service inaugurated on Friday. The ride started from New Bus Stand Metro Station at 8 am, and heavy rush could be seen at the station.
The stretch has stations at Shaheed Nagar, Raj Bagh, Rajendra Nagar, Shyam Park, Mohan Nagar, Arthala, Hindon River and the New Bus stand.
The first-time riders had a bit of difficulty, but the station staff seemed very helpful. Many were unable to properly place the ticket on the gate sensor, or find the platform, but the staff helped along. Even residents seemed impressed with their etiquette. "They helped riders get the ticket from the ticketing machine installed at the metro station," a passenger said.
The first train departed from New Bus Stand at 8 am, as scheduled. There was a decent crowd at the interchange station, but most people could manage a seat. “By travelling on road from New Bus Stand to Dilshad, it would take over an hour, but in Metro, it takes only 15-16 minutes,” a passenger said.
Vaibhav Shukla, a student in Delhi University told City Spidey, “I study in a private Delhi University, and I go to Delhi on my scooty. But from now, I will use the Metro because it’s cheap and enjoyable as well.”
Another passenger, Hardik Pahuja — whose office is in Connaught Place — said, “I would take over 1.5 hours every day to reach office. On roads, the chances of accidents also increase, but Metro is rather safe. I can use my phone and laptop, check my mails while travelling to office, but in my car I couldn't do that.”
