Delhi Metro passengers on the Pink Line can now check the approximate occupancy of all six coaches before boarding, after the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation extended its real-time coach occupancy display facility to the corridor. The information will appear on Passenger Information Display System screens at stations shortly before trains arrive, allowing commuters to move towards relatively less crowded coaches.
The facility, introduced on Friday, was previously available on the Magenta Line, or Line 8, where it has been operational since 2022. DMRC said the extension to the Pink Line, or Line 7, covers the corridor between Majlis Park and Shiv Vihar, as well as the Maujpur-Babarpur section identified in the route description.
The system displays occupancy information for each of a train’s six coaches, marked C1 through C6. Passengers can view the approximate crowding percentage for individual coaches on platform screens and choose where to stand before the train reaches the station. This is intended to reduce the need to enter an overcrowded coach or move along the platform after the train has arrived.
According to Anuj Dayal, Principal Executive Director, Corporate Communications, DMRC, the technology uses load sensors installed inside metro coaches. These sensors measure the current weight of each coach and compare it with the coach’s empty weight. The difference is used to calculate the approximate passenger occupancy percentage.
The information is transmitted to the station display system and shown shortly before the train arrives. The facility is expected to be particularly useful during morning and evening peak periods, when passenger loads can vary between coaches on the same train. By directing some commuters towards coaches with more available space, the system could also support a more even distribution of passengers across the train.
DMRC said implementation on the Pink Line involved data-interlinking challenges because the corridor operates as a circular route. The corporation has nevertheless operationalised the feature on the line, extending a system that had earlier been tested through its use on the Magenta corridor.
The move forms part of DMRC’s wider effort to upgrade passenger information systems and use technology to improve the metro travel experience. In a statement, Dayal said the corporation remained committed to introducing technology-driven solutions that make metro travel more convenient, comfortable and efficient. He described the Pink Line extension as another step towards a uniform, passenger-centric experience across major corridors of the network.
