Delhi Metro plans phase-5 as passenger traffic surges to pre-Covid levels

New route proposal in the back seat, Delhi Metro may focus on raising capacity

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is preparing a phase 5 plan to expand infrastructure capacity as the passenger traffic nearing pre-pandemic level puts the current network under pressure.  

Deliberations are in early stages. DMRC Managing Director (MD) Vikas Kumar told Business Standard the urban transporter may not set up new lines in areas that aren’t part of the current network (till phase 4), and would aim for capacity enhancement instead.

“Phase 5 would mostly entail parallel routes and some routes for last-mile connectivity. Across the world in metro rail, as demand grows, you start establishing parallel routes,” Kumar said.

The plan is in the works even as the urban transporter is currently building the long-pending Rs 24,000-crore phase-4. Three priority corridors are likely to be completed by 2025-26.

Mangu Singh, former MD of DMRC who had earlier stated that the fourth phase would be the Delhi Metro’s last, later said phase 5 planning could begin after progress had been made in the fourth phase.

“Right now we’re focused on phase 4. Three corridors are yet to be sanctioned, so it will take some time,” Kumar said.

The establishment of parallel metro lines has been planned to offer commuters alternative routes and improve the riding experience in the often overcrowded metro. DMRC may also consider expanding infrastructure at existing metro stations to handle more passengers efficiently. 

The next phase will be a mix of both these efforts, Kumar said.

Crowding at major stations is increasingly becoming a cause for concern for users as the metro regains pre-pandemic ridership, with rush-hour wait times for security checks sometimes ranging from 30 minutes to an hour.

The transporter has been working to address congestion in the trains. In April 2021, the DMRC had announced it would convert all of its six-coach trainsets on the Red, Yellow, and Blue Lines to eight by the year’s end. However, the first-ever eight-coach metro in the red line only hit the tracks in November 2022.

The Delhi Metro currently has a fleet of 336 train sets comprising 181 six-coach trains, 133 eight-coach trains, and 22 four-coach trains across all its corridors.

As of November, the Delhi Metro registered 5.11 million daily average passenger journeys, which is over 85 per cent of its pre-pandemic ridership of 6.13 million. 

Kumar said the metro, in most likelihood, would reach that point in the next four months.

In 2020, metro services in the national capital ceased for months following the Covid-19 nationwide lockdown and it was followed by a period of low footfall.