No cancellation of services, cut in metro train trips on October 10, SC told

NEW DELHI: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Wednesday informed Supreme Court that there was no curtailment or cancellation of metro services and no reduction in the number of train trips, with 272 trains operating on Oct 10.“A full complement of 4,157 train trips were conducted on Oct 10 as per schedule across the Metro network,” it said, adding that 258 stations, or 85% of the total number of stations, remained fully operational, accessible and functional for commuters.Following the Supreme Court’s Oct 9 order, which disapproved of a complete shutdown of metro services, Delhi Police reviewed its Oct 8 order for entry/exit closure of 57 of 303 metro stations in Delhi on Oct 10, the day of CJP protest, and applied its directive to 45 stations, DMRC said.

It said metro services functioned normally except for closure of entry/exit points at 45 stations on Oct 10 and a total of 32 lakh commuters travelled on the network that day, as against approximately 58 lakh on a normal second Saturday.“Crucially, out of the 45 stations where entry/exit gates were regulated, 14 key interchange stations (including major transit hubs such as Rajiv Chowk, Kashmere Gate, Central Secretariat, Mandi House, Hauz Khas, Dilli Haat-INA and Netaji Subhash Place) continued to provide full and uninterrupted line-interchange facilities for commuters,” it said, adding that all stations were fully operational after 10 pm on Oct 10.

“At key sensitive stations, such as GTB Nagar and Vishwavidyalaya, DMRC did not impose a total prohibition on movement; rather, it implemented a measured and calibrated regulatory protocol to control incoming passenger flow while actively facilitating disembarking commuters,” it said.

On instructions from police, entry/exit to six metro stations—Patel Chowk, Janpath, Rajiv Chowk, Mandi House, Central Secretariat and Barakhamba Road—were closed from 6 am to 5 pm on Oct 12 to avoid untoward incidents as the police had said there was “likelihood of unruly mob movement towards sensitive locations”, DMRC said.In its Oct 9 order, SC had said, “We clarify that although there shall be no outright prohibition on the movement of metro trains, a prudent decision may be made to permit the operation of Metro trains and other rail services in a suitable and regulated manner.”