Thaindian News

New Delhi, May 2 (IANS) Passengers on two Delhi Metro lines which connect the capital with the satellite towns of Noida and Gurgaon and which are seeing ever-increasing ridership can hope for a more comfortable journey by the end of 2013 with the induction of eight-coach trains.

“By the end of 2013, over half of the trains on Line 2 (Jahangirpuri-HUDA City Centre) and Line 3 (Dwarka-Noida City Centre) will be of eight coaches,” Delhi Metro chief Mangu Singh told reporters Wednesday, adding that the remaining six-car trains would be converted by 2015.

Singh Delhi Metro has placed orders for procuring additional coaches.

Sixty rakes operate on the Dwarka-Noida City Centre line and 71 on the Jahangirpuri-HUDA City Centre line. About 13 lakh passengers travel on these lines every day.

Six-coach trains have a capacity of 1,800-2,100 passengers per trip. With the introduction of eight-coach trains, the capacity would will go up to 2,400.

“With the procurement of more train cars, by June 2015, all trains plying on Line 2 and Line 3 will be of eight coaches and Line 1 (Dilshad Garden to Rithala) will be of six coaches,” Singh added.

Apart from inducting more coaches, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has also floated tenders for procuring 300 feeder buses to increase the connectivity between Metro stations and the interior areas of the city.

The induction of these buses would take at least six months, Singh said.

He also said that DMRC is reviewing its operational expenses and as of now, there would be no fare hike.

Delhi Metro makes over 2,400 trips a day, covering about 70,000 km and carrying around 18 lakh passengers on working days.