DMRC slashes Airport Express Line fares by 50%

The revised fares will be applicable from September 18

In a surprising move, Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), the operator of India’s largest mass rapid transit system, has announced up to 50 per cent cut in the passenger fares of Airport Express Line, which connects the heart of the city to the Indira Gandhi International Airport.

The sudden announcement of the massive rate cut comes on the backdrop of a financial crunch being faced by the metro train operator in the absence of a fare rise for the past six years. Facing a stiff rise in input costs, DMRC has been pressing the government for a fare hike. The company registered a 11 per cent rise in net loss at Rs 100 crore in 2013-14.

DMRC said the move to “further reduce” passenger fares on the Airport Express Line — to be effective from Friday — is aimed at ensuring greater convenience for commuters. “According to the revised fare structure, the minimum single journey fare on the corridor will be Rs 10 replacing the earlier minimum fare of Rs 20 and the maximum fare will be Rs 60 against the earlier maximum fare of Rs 100,” said DMRC Executive Director Anuj Dayal.

DMRC expects the increased ridership that will result from the reduced fares would balance out the impact on earnings, said a senior company executive, who did not wish to be named. After the changes, a one-way journey from New Delhi station to Dwarka Sector 21 station using a single journey token will now cost only Rs 60. In addition, the ‘fare value store card’ offered to the commuters will carry a further discount of 10 per cent.

“The fares are being increased to mainly encourage commuters from Dwarka Sub City to travel by the Airport Express Line instead of the Blue Line. This will also help in decongesting the Blue Line, especially during peak hours as it is one of the busiest corridors of the Delhi Metro network. The benefit of lesser travel time on the Airport Express Line will also be communicated to the passengers,” Dayal said.

  Fares on the Airport Express Line were decreased by up to 40 per cent on July 24, 2014. As a result, average daily ridership of the corridor had increased significantly from around 13,000 in June 2014 to 20,000 in February this year. Around 32,000 persons travelled on the Airport Express Line on August 28.

DMRC has been operating the 22.7-km-long corridor since July 2013, after Reliance Infrastructure, the original private concessionaire, pulled out of the project. After remaining suspended for seven months due to technical reasons, the line was reopened in January 2013 with a reduced speed of 50 km per hour. DMRC reinstated the speed at the line to 80 km an hour in mid-2014.