Delhi Metro will run 20 additional trips on working days from 22 October as part of measures to encourage public transport use after the implementation of Stage 1 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP-1) in the capital region. The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will also intensify dust-control work at its construction sites and on roads under its jurisdiction.
The additional services will operate from Monday to Friday across the DMRC network. The move is intended to encourage more commuters to choose the metro instead of private vehicles, reducing pressure on Delhi’s roads and supporting efforts to control air pollution.
Alongside the increase in services, DMRC will conduct a special campaign at its construction sites and surrounding roads. The measures include reducing dust within construction areas, removing dust from nearby roads, and clearing waste from footpaths and road dividers.
DMRC engineers will inspect construction sites and adjacent roads to check whether materials being used at the sites are properly covered. They will also examine wheel-wash systems installed for vehicles leaving construction areas, with the aim of ensuring that the systems are functioning correctly and preventing dust and mud from being carried onto public roads.
The corporation said more than 250 anti-smog guns and mist guns have already been installed at construction sites, metro stations and office buildings. According to DMRC, these devices help reduce dust particles in the air. The corporation’s environment department is also carrying out daily inspections to check compliance with environmental requirements.
Around 31 kilometres of roads in the capital are currently under DMRC’s jurisdiction because of metro construction work. DMRC said most of these roads have already been repaired to prevent poor road conditions from contributing further to dust pollution.
The measures combine an operational response on the metro network with construction-site and road-management actions. The additional weekday trips are aimed at supporting public transport use, while inspections, covered construction materials, wheel-wash systems and road repairs are intended to limit dust generated by ongoing metro works.
DMRC’s additional services and intensified inspections will begin in the context of GRAP-1, which has been implemented to address worsening air-pollution conditions in Delhi.
