Noida Metro gets highest single-day ridership post Covid-19 lockdown

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The Noida-Greater Noida Metro had 10,418 passengers on Monday, as it recorded its highest single-day ridership since resumption of the services after the COVID-19 lockdown, officials said on Tuesday.

Also known as the Aqua Line, the metro between Noida and Greater Noida had an average daily ridership of 22,758 in March 2020 when it stopped service as the lockdown was announced due to the COVID-19 outbreak, according to the Noida Metro Rail Corporation (NMRC) figures.

The service resumed in September but ridership dipped due to fear of infection among riders, leading to average daily passenger count of 7,915 in December, even as the NMRC said it was ensuring implementation of all COVID-19 protocols.

"The New Year has begun on a positive note for NMRC as it achieved the highest ridership of 10,418 passengers on the first Monday of 2021 (January 4) after resuming services post lockdown," NMRC Managing Director Ritu Maheshwari said in a statement.

"This rise can be attributed to the fact that passengers have faith in the safety standards of NMRC and consider the Aqua Line as a safe and secure mode of public transport," Maheshwari added.

As part of the preventive measures being taken by the NMRC to contain the spread of the virus, it had conducted RT-PCR test for all its employees on Monday who have all resulted in negative for the infection, she said.

"Around 371 employees got themselves tested in this medical drive. The reports of the tested employees were received by NMRC today. According to the reports received, all the 371 employees have tested negative for COVID-19," the officer added.

The NMRC said it is taking all necessary measures to ensure a safe journey for commuters. The trains are fully sanitised after each trip, while the stations, platforms and other "contact areas" like call buttons of lifts, AFC gates, handle belts of escalators and staircases, POS machines are also sanitised at regular intervals, it said.

The e-rickshaws, which ferry commuters between the Aqua Line and the Blue Line through a walkway, are also regularly sanitised after every journey, it added.