The daily average ridership of Delhi Metro in September 2022 reached 87% of the pre-pandemic levels, as per the latest data by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC). Delhi Metro has witnessed a steady rise in its daily average ridership over the past few months. The footfall recorded in September 2022 was 47.3 lakh, which is higher than the 39.5 lakh recorded in May 2022.
Owing to the Covid-19-induced lockdown in 2020, followed by new Covid-19 waves, the Delhi metro saw a significant reduction in footfall. The metro operations were carried out with reduced capacity for nearly two years. In September 2020, the ridership was only 6.19 lakh, with the per day average utilisation being nil during April to August period owing to the lockdown and restrictions imposed during the pandemic. Delhi metro started operating at 100% capacity from the last week of February 2022.
The average ridership saw a steady rise in recent months. However, April 2022 saw an average per day utilisation of 40.11 lakh; it dropped to 39.48 lakh in May 2022. The footfall started to rise from June onwards, recording an average per day utilisation of 41.9 lakh in June 2022. It further increased to 43.9 lakh in July and 44.89 lakh in August.
On February 25, 2022, the Delhi Disaster Management Authority removed Covid-19 restrictions, except for wearing masks inside metro premises and trains. The Covid-19 restrictions impacted the train capacity. However, as per officials, the number of commuters in the non-essential travel category was still lower. Delhi metro trains undertake nearly 5,100 trips every day, and the carrying capacity of an eight-coach metro train is almost 2,400.
See also: All about the Delhi Metro network: DMRC Delhi Metro route map 2022, stations and latest updates
As per the official data by the DMRC, September 2022 saw 47.3 lakh footfall per day, as against 54.5 lakh in September 2019. An official said the Delhi metro was returning to normalcy as the mass rapid transit system regained 87% of its average daily utilisation compared to 2019. DMRC expects a further increase in footfall from October 2022, looking at the trend in the last six months.
