The age of the Metro: How the system failed to induce behavioural change

In its 20-year journey, Delhi Metro has held several meanings for commuters.

For Pratishtha Nangia, it started as a novelty when she was in school, became a lifeline in college days, and a fallback option in the age of ride-hailing apps — more so post-Covid when avoi¬ding crowds became a priority.

Yet, the 27-year-old, who works at an advisory firm, agrees the Metro has been a safer choice for women than other modes of public transport. “I can’t recall the last time I took a bus and have no plans to step into one again.”  With its reserved coaches and seats and relatively disciplined passenger behaviour, a women-friendly mode of transport is counted among the major benefits of Delhi Metro.

Pritpal Randhawa, assistant professor at School of Global Affairs, Ambedkar University Delhi, points out that not many cases of crimes against women are reported in the Metro. The middle-income groups, who are the principal beneficiary of Delhi Metro, are sensitive to instances of gender abuse, which have been more common on buses. “Women feel safe to travel in the Metro, even late at night.”

The mass rapid transit system, which has one of the largest networks in the world at over 390 km, offers an obvious advantage to long-distance commuters. Besides, Randhawa says, it has brought about a cultural change among users. “In Metro, people do not litter. It is clean compared to trains.”

Metro fares for single one-way journeys range from Rs 10 to Rs 60. Compared to this, a non-airconditioned Delhi Transport Corporation bus charges between Rs 5 and Rs 15. Randhawa argues that the difference in fare means the Metro is unaffordable for economically weaker sections.

Prior to its introduction, the government authorities advocated that Delhi Metro would help bring down vehicular congestion and pollution levels in the city. However, the Delhi Economic Survey 2021-22 shows the number of vehicles in the capital was more than 10 million. “This means congestion hasn’t reduced. And the Metro has not been able to motivate people to leave private vehicles. So, adding infrastructure is not enough. Strict measures must be in place,” says Randhawa, recommending expanding the bus network and integrating the two modes of mass transports.

Sewa Ram, professor of transport planning at the Delhi-based School of Planning and Architecture, says Delhi Metro succeeded in extending connectivity to peri-urban areas that were earlier neglected, somewhat addressing a transport inequity, and also bringing momentum to real estate development in the city’s outer parts.

“Delhi Metro also had to connect stations to different rail, bus, and airport terminals. What was missing and is now being corrected is a plan for good multimodal interchange stations. For example, Anand Vihar and Sarai Kale Khan will be developed as multimodal hubs, providing transport from metro to other systems,” he says.

The question of affordability and persuasiveness of Delhi Metro is also linked to developing a strong feeder network, says Ram.

“Delhi Metro started with a good feeder system that attracted people from the doorstep. Slowly, it has become a question mark. As a benchmark, feeder systems should cover one-third of the journey. But in some cases, it takes more time to access the Metro,” he says.