Signs of recovery: Delhi Metro regains 90% of pre-pandemic ridership levels

Operating under reduced capacity during the Covid-19 lockdowns, the Delhi metro is finally showing signs of recovering its former numbers through the addition of new stations and better connectivity

In 2020, following the Covid-19 lockdowns, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) saw a drastic decrease in footfall. During the 29th foundation day celebration of DMRC, director Vikas Kumar stated that the Delhi metro had reached 90 per cent of its pre-pandemic levels.

The daily ridership was 6-6.5 million before the pandemic and is currently 5-5.5 million passengers.

The DMRC data, as reported by the Times of India, also shows that the Pink, Grey, and Green Lines have achieved more than 100 percent of their pre-pandemic passenger number with the opening of new stations and improving connectivity.

Stations opened during the pandemic

Stations from Trilokpuri-Sanjay Lake to Mayur Vihar Pocket became functional on the Pink line during the pandemic.

On the Grey Line, Najafgarh was connected to Dhansa Bus Stand at the Delhi-Haryana border in September 2021.

The Punjabi Bagh metro station was expanded into an interchange station that connected the Green Line with the Pink Line.

Increase in ridership

The report shows that the Pink Line has achieved the highest growth of 123 per cent, with daily ridership at 503,959 passengers, pre-pandemic numbers were 408,587 passengers.

Grey Line ridership increased by 116 per cent to pre-pandemic numbers, with the number of daily riders increasing from 22,861 in early 2020 to 26,507 in March-April 2023.

The Green Line saw a 106 per cent increase compared to pre-pandemic, rising from 213,585 daily riders pre-pandemic to 227,205 now.

Red, Yellow, Violet, and Magenta Lines have regained ridership by 87 per cent, 84 per cent, 86 per cent and 81 per cent, respectively.

The Yamuna Bank-Vaishali Blue Line has regained 91 per cent of its daily riders, while Dwarka Sec-21 to Noida Electronic City has achieved 84 per cent.

Since allowing 100 per cent occupancy in the metro by the Delhi Disaster Management Authority in February 2022, the Delhi metro is starting to recover from the reduced numbers it faced during lockdowns.