Delhi: Second day of metro station closures leaves commuters stranded; travel time, costs goes up

NEW DELHI: Services on some sections of the Delhi Metro remained disrupted for the second consecutive day on Thursday with the closure of seventeen stations, causing inconvenience to hundreds of office-goers and other passengers who were forced to take longer and costlier routes to reach their destinations.

The development comes as the crowd swelled at the ongoing Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) protest at Jantar Mantar.

"Lok Kalyan Marg, Rajiv Chowk, Patel Chowk, Ramakrishna Ashram Marg, Barakhamba Road, Supreme Court, Seva Teerth, Janpath, Mandi House, Central Secretariat, ITO, Delhi Gate, Indraprastha, Khan Market, Jor Bagh and Shivaji Stadium metro stations have been closed till further instructions," the DMRC said in a post on X.

Later, the DMRC also shutdown services on the Jhandewalan metro station.

Services on the same 17 metro stations were also shutdown on Wednesday.

Outside Jor Bagh Metro station, Mahipal Dhaka said he was headed to Rithala for work but had to look for an alternative mode of transport after finding the station closed.

"I have to go to Rithala for work, but now I have to find another transport option which will cost more. Instead of closing the metro, they should have explored other arrangements, he said.

He added, "Many people depend on the metro every day. We get late and then have to answer to our offices."

Amit Kumar, another commuter, said the repeated closures had disrupted his routine and he had to start one and half hour earlier to reach office on time.

"I was late to office yesterday as well. Usually, I leave home at 8 am, but today I started at 6.30 am so that I could reach on time. Even in the evening, people are reaching home as late as 10 pm because metro stations are shut, routes are being diverted and traffic has become very heavy," he said.

Rajesh Singh, a school teacher, said the uncertainty over metro services had made his daily commute increasingly stressful.

"Every morning we have to check whether our station is open before leaving home. Even if we start early, the roads are packed because many people are forced to switch to buses, autos and cabs. Reaching school on time has become difficult, and the uncertainty every day is exhausting," he said.

Several commuters said the closure of key stations, coupled with traffic diversions in central Delhi, had significantly increased travel time and expenses.