At 78.67 lakh, Delhi Metro records highest-ever daily ridership on November 18

Amid the severe pollution gripping the national capital, Delhi Metro recorded its highest-ever daily ridership on November 18, with a staggering 78.67 lakh passenger journeys, according to official data.

On Monday, Delhi Transport Corporation's contractual bus drivers and conductors also held a strike leading to a disruption in public transportation.

The ridership figure exceeded the previous high of 77.49 lakh passengers on August 20 of this year, the data said.

On November 18, the Yellow Line, which connects Millennium City Centre in Gurugram to Samaypur Badli in Delhi, saw the highest passenger traffic, with a record 20.99 lakh commuters.

The Blue Line followed closely with 20.80 lakh passengers, while the Red Line recorded 8.56 lakh commuters, 8.15 lakh on the Pink Line and 7.93 lakh on the Violet Line.

The Magenta Line saw 6.19 lakh passengers, followed by the Green Line with 4.12 lakh commuters, 81,985 on the Airport Line, 57,701 on Rapid Metro, and 50,128, on the Grey Line, as per the data.

Thick grey haze continued to choke Delhi for the third consecutive day on Tuesday, with pollution levels remaining alarmingly high at 488 in the ‘severe plus’ category.

To encourage more people to use the metro in this scenario, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is running 60 extra trips on weekdays, offering more capacity than usual, an official statement said.

The DMRC has recorded its 25 highest passenger journeys since August this year, the statement added.

It emphasised that the more people opt for the metro over private vehicles, the greater the reduction in vehicular emissions, which will help improve the air quality of the city and its surrounding areas.

In addition, the DMRC has introduced several measures to make travel more convenient for passengers, including the ability to book single or multiple journey tickets through various digital platforms, allowing passengers to plan their journeys anytime and anywhere without the need to stand in queues at the station, the statement read.

Furthermore, partnerships with organisations such as IRCTC, NCRTC, ITPO, and others have made it easier for people to not only travel by metro but also access interconnected travel options, along with various offers and events, all with seamless ease, the statement said.

The DMRC also said that it is one of the most environmentally friendly transport options and the first metro system in the world to be registered for carbon credits with the United Nations for its environmental measures.

The air quality index in the national capital recorded at 452 around 7 pm which comes under the severe plus category.

The protest by DTC contractual bus drivers and conductors, demanding equal pay as compared to permanent staff and better working conditions, continues to disrupt public transportation on Tuesday.