Delhi Metro passengers on the Pink Line can now see the estimated crowd level in each coach on platform display boards before a train arrives, allowing them to move towards less crowded coaches before boarding. The facility has been introduced after a similar system was implemented on the Magenta Line.
The coach-load information is being shown on passenger display boards at stations on the Pink Line corridor between Majlis Park and Shiv Vihar/Maujpur. The displays identify the six coaches as C1, C2, C3, C4, C5 and C6 and show the estimated passenger load in each coach as a percentage.
Anuj Dayal, principal executive director for public relations at the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, said the system uses load sensors installed in the coaches. The sensors calculate the current weight of each coach and compare it with the weight of an empty coach. The resulting estimate is then transmitted to the platform display boards shortly before the train reaches the station.
The system was first introduced on the Magenta Line corridor between Botanical Garden and Janakpuri West in 2022, according to the DMRC official. Its extension to the Pink Line gives passengers information about crowd distribution before they enter the train, rather than after boarding.
The facility is intended to address an uneven distribution of passengers along the platform and across train coaches. Coaches near staircases and lifts often attract more passengers because they are closer to station access points. This can leave some coaches significantly more crowded than others, particularly during busy periods.
With coach-wise load information available on the platform, passengers can choose to wait near a less crowded coach before the train arrives. The arrangement is also expected to reduce the pressure on coaches that are routinely preferred because of their position near stairs, lifts or other station exits. The information is an estimate based on coach weight, rather than a direct passenger count.
The move comes as the DMRC continues to introduce passenger-facing changes alongside network expansion. In a separate project, the corporation has begun the tender process for two underground tunnels between Aerocity and Terminal 1 under Phase 5-A. The two tunnels, one for each direction, will together cover 2.26 kilometres and are planned at a cost of Rs 1,419.6 crore.
The Aerocity–Terminal 1 corridor is intended to connect with the Golden Line, providing a direct metro service from Kalindi Kunj to Terminal 1 once the related construction is completed. Aerocity is also planned to become an interchange station with the Airport Express Line after the Phase 4 Golden Line works are completed. The coach-load display facility is currently the passenger-facing change being implemented on the Pink Line.
