When the first stretch of the Violet Line connecting Central Secretariat with Sarita Vihar was launched in 2010, and its extension to Badarpur, it had one of the lowest riderships. After five years, the line, which has now got another extension till ITO, is marked by long queues and crowded coaches.
The ITO-Badarpur corridor (Line 6) is the only stretch on the Delhi Metro network which is currently functioning with the maximum number of four-coach trains.
At present, the corridor witnesses an average ridership of 2.5 lakh against its initial footfall of 1.25 lakh. As new stations are being added to the line, the load on it is also increasing. Commuters have to jostle for entry or exit or even while travelling in the trains. As a result, many take reverse journey to reach Badarpur.
The corridor which is going to be extended to Faridabad by the end of this month has only seven six-coach trains. Out of a total of 26 trains, 19 are four-coach trains.
In addition, the trains introduced on this line are all standard gauge trains which have lesser capacity than those plying on broad gauge tracks. The capacity of each coach on the Violet Line is 259 whereas in all the other lines, except Line 5 (Inderlok–Mundka), trains can carry as much as 290 passengers per coach.
“I have been using the Violet Line for several years. But, unlike earlier, getting a seat is a rarity now. A lot of people have started using this line, so I think it is time that extra coaches were added,” said 21-year old Mandira Singh, a resident of Amar Colony in Lajpat Nagar.
The load on the line is further set to go up to 3.92 lakh with the opening of the Faridabad extension. The Badarpur-Faridabad stretch will have nine stations taking the total length of the Violet Line to 43.4 km with 32 stops. Trial runs on the line have been going on since April 12, and the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) is likely to be invited for the mandatory safety inspection in a week or two.
According to the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation , the journey on the line will get comfortable once the Faridabad extension opens.
“The trains are gradually converted from four to six coaches. All trains operating on this corridor will eventually be converted to six-coach trains. The conversion takes time and has to be done carefully to ensure proper integration of all components within the train systems,” said a DMRC official.
