Record earning of Rs 19 lakh in a day on Noida line

The Metro train seen during its maiden run through Noida.

In another first for DMRC, the city Metro has earned a maximum revenue of Rs 1.64 crore on a single day, thanks to hike in the fare and the newly launched Noida corridor which has made thousands of passengers bid adieu to crowded buses and opt the new age transport system.

Metro earned Rs 1.64 crore yesterday, a day after the fare hike came into effect and the much-awaited Noida line was opened to the public, with over 9.5 lakh people travelling on it. This is the highest earning so far since the Metro became operational on 25th December 2002, a DMRC spokesman said.

The Yamuna Bank-Noida Sector 32 line, which has 10 stations, alone generated a revenue of Rs 19 lakh yesterday, he said.

DMRC officials said more than one lakh people travelled on the Metro both on Friday and Saturday generating a revenue of Rs 18 and 19 lakh respectively.

They attributed the maximum revenue to the fair hike in Metro and the Noida line. “Fare hike is one factor and another is the Noida line. People opt for Metro because in some routes metro is cheaper than bus. Ridership on the Noida line has surpassed our expectations,” the spokesman said.

DMRC has projected that 53,000 people will join the new age transport by 2011, but the ridership in first two days crossed one lakh. Officials said the number of may come down as it was recorded on weekends and many could be taking a joy ride at the launch of the new line.

With the India International Trade Fair set to be opened for public from Thursday, the DMRC will set up 45 to 50 extra counters at the Pragati Maidan station to cater to huge rush.

The Metro will also be selling trade fair tickets at Rs 10 discount (on the Rs 60 adult and Rs 30 child ticket) from November 19.

The spokesman said manual tickets for the Metro will be sold from November 19 to November 27 in addition to the usual counters.

“Since we anticipate huge rush during the IITF, we will set up separate counters for every destination at the Pragati Maidan station. Manual tickets will be issued at the counters,” he said.

The Metro hiked its fare from Friday with the minimum being Rs 8 and the maximum Rs 30.

The Noida Metro link became a instant hit among commuters with thousands of people opting for the new transport system.

Many of the bus travellers switched to Metro hoping for a smooth and safer travel to the national capital. They also heaved a sigh of relief as they don’t have to travel in jam-packed Blueline buses.