Delhi Metro revises fares, travel set to get costlier

New Delhi: Commuting in the Delhi Metro is set to get costlier from Wednesday with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) announcing a hike of up to 66 per cent. With the fare revision, which has taken place after a gap of eight years, the minimum ticket price has been hiked from Rs 8 to Rs 10, while the maximum fare will be Rs 50, instead of Rs 30.

The new fare structure also cuts down the existing 15 slabs to six. A second fare revision will take place on October 1 and the maximum ticket price will go to Rs 60.

The hike was announced by the DMRC after a board meeting on Monday. The latest revision brings the Delhi Metro’s fare on par with Chennai and Bengaluru. To put things in perspective, a 12-15 km journey, which costs Rs 18 at present, will cost Rs 30 Wedn-esday onwards and Rs 40 from October 1. The existing 10 per cent discount for smartcard holders will continue. Plus, to cut down on overcrowding, a 10 per cent extra discount will also be offered during non-peak hours, which would be 6 to 8 am, noon to 5 pm and 9 pm onwards. Smart card holders who exit during these hours will get the additional discount. On Sundays and national holidays, the slabs will be lower — the maximum fare will be Rs 40.

This was the fourth time the fares have been revised since the Metro started rolling in 2002 — the last revision was in 2009. The decision to review fare came after repeated requests from the DMRC citing high overhead costs, including electricity.

While the Metro has become Delhi’s favourite mode of travel since its inception in 2002, with footfall of around 3 million a day, the urban development ministry had told Parliament that the DMRC suffered a net loss of Rs 708.5 crore in 2015-2016.