New Delhi: The Delhi Metro on Friday chugged into the National Capital Region town of Noida, bringing cheer to the residents of the bustling metropolis who turned out in large numbers for the maiden ride of Metro.
Operations on the 13.1 km Yamuna Bank-Noida stretch, which has been integrated with the existing 34.3 km Yamuna Bank-Dwarka Sector-9 section, began at 0600 hrs, making it the first time that the Delhi Metro has crossed the borders of the city.
An overwhelming response greeted the Metro, with the residents of the trans-Yamuna areas like Mayur Vihar Phase 1, Vasundhara Enclave and Noida areas thronging the Metro stations to take a ride on it.
''Public response to the Yamuna Bank-Noida Metro line has been overwhelming. In fact, the ridership level of the trains on the section has been far better that expected,'' Metro officials said.
In fact, as against a projected ridership of 56,000 on the section on the first day, 45,000 had travelled till just 1400 hrs, the officials added.
This means that the ridership for the day could well surpass the projected figure of 56,000.
The opening of the Yamuna Bank-Noida Sector 32 section, which comprises 10 stations -- Akshardham, Mayur Vihar-I and Mayur Vihar Extension in Delhi and New Ashok Nagar, Noida Sector 15, Sector 16, Sector 18, Botanical Garden, Golf Course and Noida City Centre in Uttar Pradesh -- has come as a boon for thousands of people who travel from Mayur Vihar Phase I, Vasundhara and Noida to their workplaces in Central Delhi as the starting of the Metro would lead to reduction in their commuting time.
Said corporate executive Vishnu Sharma, a resident of Noida sector 32 whose office is in Connaught Place, ''Thanks to the Metro, I will no longer have to jostle through the peak hour traffic between Noida and CP which often took me close to one-and-a-half hours to reach office from my house. A travel on the Metro will lead to tremendous reduction in commuting time. In addition, it also helps me save on my fuel cost for my car.''
For Sheila Sharma, a resident of Mayur Vihar Phase I, the launch of the Yamuna Bank-Noida section facilitates her travel to her mother's house in Vikas Puri.
''Earlier, I had to take an auto to Yamuna Bank station from where I took the Dwarka train to reach Vikaspuri. However, with Metro reaching Noida, I can reach Vikaspuri through a direct train, thus reducing on the commuting time as also travel expenses,'' Sharma said.
For Rashmi, a BSc(Honours) student at the Hindu college who resides in Vasundhara, the opening of the new Metro section conveniences her visit to the college from her house.
''Earlier, I had to change two buses to reach my college and the journey would take me nearly an hour and a half. With the starting of the Metro, the commuting time has been reduced significantly,'' she said.
The opening of the section follows its inauguration on Thursday by Union Urban Development Minister Jaipal Reddy and Delhi Chief Minister Sheila Dikshit on the Delhi side and UP Chief Minister Mayawati on the Noida side.
DMRC spokesperson Anuj Dayal said with operation of the Yamuna Bank-NOIDA section, length of Line-3 from Dwarka Sector 9 to NOIDA City Centre is now 47.3 km with the number of stations of Line-3 being 42.
Initially, two trains coming from Dwarka will terminate at Yamuna Bank while every third train will continue up to NOIDA City Centre.
As more trains become available, every alternate train from Yamuna Bank will continue till NOIDA.
The increase in Metro fares also came into force from Friday. According to the hike, the minimum Metro fare now will be Rs eight while the maximum will be
Rs 32.
Average increase in fares ranges from Rs three to Rs six in various distance slabs. The minimum increase is Rs two for a distance up to four km and the maximum increase is Rs eight. The average increase in all distance slabs is 36 per cent.
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