With smart card users being the majority among commuters in the metro network, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has decided to convert around 50 per cent of the existing Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates to ‘Card Only’ gates.
“At present, Delhi Metro has 1,073 AFC exit gates across all metro stations of the network. Of these, 500 exit gates are being converted exclusively for smart card users,” said a metro official. The DMRC is also naming them as 'Card Only AFC Exit Gates.'
The remaining AFC exit gates will remain functional for both smart card and token carrying passengers. The move is aimed at facilitating smooth exit from the dedicated gates at a faster pace. It is expected that the dedicated 'Card Only' exit gates will in turn allow token users to exit conveniently from the other AFC gates meant for mixed users.
“Adequate signages are being placed at the gates to inform the commuters about it. Token handling at times by relatively new passengers lead to some minor errors and delay in exit but this new arrangement would pave the way for smooth exit for both types of commuters - card as well as token users - thus avoiding unnecessary delay in exit,” the official added.
At present, 300 AFC Gates have been converted into 'Card Only' exit gates at metro stations on all routes. Rest of the stations will be covered by the end of this month.
Delhi Metro has 213 km of operational network with 160 stations and it carries around 26 lakh commuters everyday across Delhi and NCR per day. Of these, around 18 lakh commuters use the metro smart card every day.
