Delhi Metro back on track: Passenger services on all lines now available from 6 am - 11 pm

All lines of the Delhi Metro network were opened on Saturday, including the Airport Express Line as part of the third stage of the graded reopening of the urban transport service. Passengers will be able to travel on all the lines from 6 am to 11 pm daily. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has made all the necessary arrangements for its proper functionality.

To avoid huge crowds, especially during peak hours, the DMRC chief appealed to the people to refrain from travelling during peak hours. He also requested people to use the rapid transport only if urgently needed.

In a video message posted on the Twitter, DMRC chief Mangu Singh said, “Delhi Metro will resume full services as it was during normal days. We appeal to people to stagger the time of their journeys to break the peak hour rush so that more passengers can be carried by the system.”

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“I also appeal to the employers to allow their employees to come to work following a staggered time schedule so that they can travel in metro accordingly. This will ensure social distancing at work and also during travel in the metro. Those who are working from home should continue to do so,” he added.

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Graded reopening of Delhi Metro services

On Monday, the Delhi Metro had resumed services with curtailed operations on the Yellow Line and Rapid Metro. Blue and Pink lines resumed services on Wednesday; Red, Violet and Green lines were made operational on Thursday; and Magenta and Grey lines on Friday. Metro services in Delhi and the National Capital Region were closed on March 22 to check the spread of coronavirus.

"With services available on most of the metro lines, the total ridership recorded in Friday’s operational hours i.e. from 7 am to 1 pm and then from 4 pm till 07:30 pm was nearly 1,28,886," the DMRC said in a statement. On regular days, the average daily ridership of DMRC is over 26 lakh.  

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COVID-19 situation in Delhi

Delhi recorded 4,266 fresh COVID-19 cases on Friday, as the city's tally mounted to over 2.09 lakh, with the authorities conducting a record 60,580 tests for the disease the previous day. The national capital reported over 4,000 fresh coronavirus cases for the third successive day.

A total of 21 fatalities due to the disease were recorded in the last 24 hours, taking the death toll to 4,687, according to the latest bulletin issued by the Delhi health department.

The number of tests conducted per one-lakh population as on Friday was over 1.06 lakh, while the total number of tests crossed the 20-lakh mark. The positivity rate stood at 7% while the recovery rate was over 84%, the bulletin said, adding that the case fatality rate stood at 2.23%. The number of containment zones in Delhi jumped to 1,329 from 1,272 the previous day.

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