The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will operate 20 additional train trips on weekdays from Thursday, following the implementation of GRAP-I in the national capital. The move is intended to encourage greater use of public transport and reduce dependence on personal vehicles, the corporation said in a statement issued on Wednesday.
The additional services will be introduced across the Delhi Metro network on weekdays. The DMRC did not provide details in the statement on the specific lines, stations or time slots that will receive the extra trips.
Alongside the increase in train operations, the corporation said it would intensify anti-pollution measures at construction sites and in surrounding areas. These measures will include efforts to reduce dust levels at its construction sites, remove road dust from nearby roads and clear garbage from footpaths and road medians.
The announcement links metro operations with measures being taken in response to deteriorating air-quality conditions in Delhi after GRAP-I was implemented on Wednesday. While the additional trips are focused on public transport capacity, the construction-site and road-cleaning measures target dust generated around infrastructure works and adjoining public spaces.
The DMRC’s statement presents the additional trips as a way to support a shift towards public transport at a time when the national capital is implementing the first stage of the Graded Response Action Plan. For commuters, the immediate change is the availability of more weekday train services, although the corporation has not announced route-wise or timetable-wise details in the information available.
The anti-pollution drive will also cover areas around construction sites, where the DMRC said it will work to reduce dust levels. The corporation further listed road-dust removal and the clearing of garbage from footpaths and medians among the measures it will undertake.
The announcement comes as Delhi’s transport and construction systems are being addressed together under the pollution-response framework. The DMRC’s actions therefore combine an operational intervention—running more train trips—with site and streetscape measures related to dust and cleanliness.
The additional weekday trips are scheduled to begin on Thursday. The DMRC’s statement did not specify how long the extra services will continue or provide a separate timeline for the construction-site and road-cleaning measures.
