Long way to go: Delhi Metro earnings from ticket sales rise to ₹6 crore
After remaining shut for about six months, the Delhi Metro opened in a phased manner on September 7, and within 10 days it has collected ₹6 crore from ticket sales, The Indian Express said quoting official records.
The resumption of Metro operations came amid a sharp surge in COVID-19 cases in Delhi, which on Friday reported 4,127 new cases and an overall death figure of 4,907. The total number of cases in Delhi stood at 2,38,828.
The highest single-day earning of ₹1.09 crore was on September 14, two days into the full resumption of services. In the pre-pandemic period, the average daily earnings from ticket sales had touched ₹10 crore.
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The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) suffered a loss of around ₹1,609 crore due to the closure of Metro services, Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told Lok Sabha on Thursday. Puri said the DMRC has informed that payments towards its loan have been made as per schedule.
Delhi Metro services, which were shut on March 22 to contain the spread of coronavirus, resumed on September 7 in a phased manner. Full-fledged normal operations resumed on Sept 12.
On Sept 7, when the Yellow Line, which runs between Gurugram’s Huda City Centre and Delhi’s Samaypur Badli, was opened along with Rapid Metro Gurgaon, DMRC earned ₹10.06 lakh as revenue from ticket sales from 15,226 commuters.
The earnings climbed to 70 lakh when all the lines started operating from 6 am to 11 pm on Sept 12. It further rose to ₹1.09 crore on September 14, as over 2.5 lakh people — as against an average of 27 lakh during pre-corona — used the Metro services in what was the first working Monday after complete restoration of usual services.
However, the revenue from ticket sales showed a marginal dip on Wednesday and Thursday with DMRC posting earnings of ₹99.5 lakh and ₹94.9 lakh respectively.
Under the new standard operating procedure being followed by the DMRC currently, passengers inside trains are occupying alternate seats, while those standing are maintaining distance.
Consequently, entry is being regulated and only a limited number of people are allowed inside the stations at a time through designated gates.
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When full lockdown was in force, the DMRC had written to the Centre urging it to defer the payment of its loan installment for the year 2020-21. It owes Japan International Cooperation Agency, which has so far granted ₹35,198 crore loan to DMRC, ₹1242.83 crore in the current financial year, which include principal and interest amounts.
The Centre had, in turn, directed the Metro to approach the Delhi government. DMRC has equal equity participation from the Centre and the Delhi government.
Under the new SOP being followed by the DMRC, passengers inside trains are occupying alternate seats, while those standing are maintaining distance. The entry is being regulated and only a limited number of people are allowed inside the stations at a time through designated gates.