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Indicating that the Delhi government will soon approve proposals regarding capacity expansion of metro rail in a phased manner after discussions with the Union Housing and Urban Affairs Ministry, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal hoped that the metro fares will come down, as power tariffs have not gone up in Delhi for the last three years.
Housing and Urban Affairs Minister HS Puri said he had asked the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation to explore if lower fares could be extended to senior citizens and students by using technology during special times.
Kejriwal and Puri flagged off trains on the Majlis-South Campus corridor of Delhi Metro on Wednesday, which is the pink line. “With this launch, the metro network in Delhi crosses 250 km,” said Mangu Singh, Managing Director, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).
Metro expansion
The Delhi government has two pending proposals – one is regarding expanding the existing DMRC network with more rolling stock (coaches), and another is expansion of metro’s Phase IV network.
“We will soon approve the details regarding the capacity expansion in the existing system,” said Kejriwal. Details of the proposal to add rolling stock are not yet clear on the extent of coaches to be added and who will fund it.
Phase IV has six routes, some of which are not financially viable as per ridership estimates of the Delhi government. Kejriwal suggested that one of the options could be to launch the routes that have higher traffic.
Profit share
Delhi sought reworking of the profit and loss sharing mechanism. “We (Delhi government and Centre) are 50:50 partners in the DMRC joint venture. This should mean equal sharing of profits and losses. However, two-three years ago, a rule was brought in stating that profits have to be shared and losses have to be borne by the State (Delhi),” said Kejriwal.
Puri said they would discuss the Delhi-Ghaziabad, Delhi-Meerut rapid transit systems.
Votebank matters
Kejriwal indicated that Delhi power tariffs will not go up over the next few years. “The metro rail fares did not go up for nine years in a row despite repeated increase in power tariffs. However, the power tariffs have not gone up in Delhi in the last three years,” said Kejriwal.
He said he had told the Delhi Power Minister that at this rate, the fares will have to be increased just ahead of State elections in the next two years, leading to an electoral loss. The Power Minister assured him that they are working out a policy in which the fares will not go up in the next few years.
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