In a first, the Delhi Metro will provide on social
media real-time average waiting duration, starting Thursday, at a few busy stations during morning
and evening peak hours, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation said.

The information
will be provided in case the waiting time goes beyond 20 minutes, as per PTI inputs.

This initiative is
aimed at allowing commuters to plan their journey effectively so as to avoid long
queues at entry or exit, amidst the on-going COVID-19 pandemic, officials said.

“In a first,
the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation will provide real-time average waiting time at
selected busy stations during morning and evening peak hours, in case the
waiting time goes beyond 20 minutes,” the officials said in a statement.

The official social media pages, handles of the DMRC will post updates on
the average waiting time at ten stations during peak hours in the morning (8:30
AM to 10:30 AM) and evening (5:30 PM to 7:30 PM) starting November 12, as per the statement.

The stations that have equipped with this facility are — Chandni Chowk, Chawri Bazaar, Patel Chowk,
Rajiv Chowk, Central Secretariat, Huda City Centre, Lal Quila, Barakhambha
Road, JLN Stadium and Saket.

The operations
staff deployed at these particular stations will continuously monitor the crowd during peak hours and assess the waiting time.

Following which the same will
further be informed to commuters if it goes beyond 20 minutes, through official
social media handles and pages of DMRC.

In case of any fluctuations in traffic
or crowd, the waiting time will be modified accordingly and will be also
informed subsequently, as per PTI.

The stations and the timings for providing updates were selected based on the traffic observed during peak hours.

“This is
being started on an experimental basis and will be considered for
implementation on more stations, if required, on the basis of the feedback
received from the commuters,” it said.

Presently,
commuters are being permitted into metro stations only after adhering to
prescribed COVID-19 safety norms. The number of passengers in the trains has
also been restricted to ensure social distancing.

The DMRC has also
advised commuters to keep at least 15-20 minutes extra time for their travel
due to the new travel protocols in place which were implemented when the metro
services resumed from September 7 onwards.