The Hindu : New Delhi News : Metro up to midnight next year

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Oct 23, 2007
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New Delhi

New Delhi

Metro up to midnight next year

Staff Reporter

Once it receives more coaches for all its lines, says Haroon Yusuf

Metro timing till around 11 p.m. at present
“Work on towards phasing out Blueline buses”

NEW DELHI: The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation would run its services up to midnight once it receives more coaches for all its lines next year, Delhi Transport Minister Haroon Yusuf announced on Monday.

This will greatly benefit a large number of people who do not avail themselves of the Metro service at present as they have to work late and therefore fear that they would miss the last trip to go back home.

While to begin with DMRC had started operating its services till around 10 p.m., earlier this year it extended the timing till around 11 p.m.

Mr. Yusuf said he had had discussions on the issue with a senior DMRC official and had been assured that the service would be extended once the Corporation receives more coaches to support its services on all its lines.

A large number of people working till late hours in various hotels, hospitals, media organisations and other professional organisations such as the police and fire services would be able to avail of the Metro services once these are extended.

Mr. Yusuf said it had also been decided to issue driving licences for running buses in Delhi to bus drivers operating in the National Capital Region.

“They would first be imparted training at the Institute of Driver Training and Research and then be given the licences to operate in Delhi. This would significantly solve the problem of shortage of trained bus drivers in Delhi.”

The Transport Minister said that along with addressing the need for training more drivers, the Delhi Government is also working towards phasing out the Blueline buses.

“The matter is being studied and we expect a report on the introduction of cooperatives and corporate sector in bus operations in about a month. Then we would be able to introduce these buses for which expression of interests had been received in August this year.”

Meanwhile, the Delhi Government is very keen to take the Blueline buses off the roads as the 98 deaths caused by them this year have caused a lot of concern all round. In all, there have been 1,640 deaths on Delhi’s roads till October 15, of which a significant 522 have been caused by unknown vehicles.

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