Delhi Metro services will start at 4:30 am on Monday, November 16, two hours earlier than the usual 6 am opening, to help devotees travelling for the Chhath Puja Usha Arghya in Delhi. The special schedule has been announced for the morning of the festival.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) said trains will begin from all terminal stations at 4:30 am. Services on all lines will run at 15-minute intervals until the regular timetable comes into effect.
The revised Delhi Metro timing is intended to support devotees travelling to offer the morning prayers, known as Usha Arghya. The arrangement will apply during the early-morning period before normal service operations begin.
Delhi’s Transport Minister, Dr Pankaj Kumar Singh, said the special arrangement would provide significant travel convenience to lakhs of devotees from Delhi and Purvanchal attending the festival. He said the Delhi government was committed to ensuring convenience for devotees and smooth traffic movement during Chhath Puja.
The change is particularly relevant for passengers who need to reach riverbanks, ghats and other designated Chhath Puja locations before sunrise. By opening the network from all terminal stations, the DMRC’s arrangement will allow early travellers to access the metro system across its operational lines rather than waiting for the standard morning start.
The announcement also places the metro at the centre of the city’s arrangements for managing festival-related movement. Early public transport availability can help devotees avoid dependence on private vehicles and support smoother travel during a period when demand for road space is expected to be concentrated around morning rituals.
According to the announcement, trains will continue at 15-minute intervals on all lines until the regular schedule is implemented. Passengers travelling on Monday morning will therefore need to account for the temporary timetable and check station-level service information before beginning their journey.
