Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 11 (IANS) The daily ridership of high-speed airport Metro has gone up from 4,000 to 15,000 in the last six months, an official of the Delhi Airport Metro Express Private Limited (DAMEPL) said Sunday.

He said that currently 70 percent of the commuters were airport-bound, whereas 30 percent were city travellers.

According to the official, the ridership on the airport corridor has grown four-fold in the last six months because of the various facilities provided to commuters.

Delhi Metro is responsible for the civil work of the line and Reliance Infrastructure will operate the line for 30 years and share the revenue.

Reliance Infrastructure president Anil P. Gupta said: “The major commuter conveniences that were launched in the last couple of months led to the rise in the footfall.”

The conveniences include airlines check-in facilities at New Delhi Railway Station and Shivaji Stadium, increased train frequency and extension in operating time from 16 to 18 hours.

“We are happy that Reliance Airport Metro Express is gaining popularity among both local Delhiites and the airport-bound travellers that are reflected in the growth in ridership,” said Reliance Infrastructure CEO Lalit Jalan.

Built at a cost of Rs.5,700 crore, the line has six stations — New Delhi Railway Station, Shivaji Stadium, Dhaula Kuan, Delhi Aero City, Indira Gandhi International Airport and Dwarka Sector-21.