Thanks to Anna, New Delhi metro station has high footfall

As thousands of people used Delhi Metro services to reach Anna Hazare's fast site of Ramlila Maidan, the New Delhi station registered over 40 per cent increase in its footfall in the past 10 days generating additional revenue.

Located 500 metres away from the Ramlila Maidan in the heart of the capital, the New Delhi Metro Station saw its highest footfall of 78,000 passengers on August 21, the first Sunday after the Gandhian launched his protest fast.

Around 20,000 additional commuters used the station ever since Hazare began his agitation at the grounds on August 19 as people hopped on to Metro to reach the site safely and comfortably.

On the last day of his fast yesterday, the footfall at the station was 62,500 as against the usual figure of 40,000-45,000 commuters.

The New Delhi Station became one of the busiest stations on the network since August 19 and the Delhi Metro deployed additional staff and set up extra token counters to cater to the rush.

A DMRC spokesperson said over the last week, the average footfall at the station was 60,000 as against the usual 40,000-45,000 commuters.

"There was an increase of over 40 per cent in the footfall registered at the station," a DMRC spokesman said.

The additional footfall generated more revenue for the Delhi Metro, but details were not available.

To facilitate commuters, announcements on train timings and signages towards Ramlila Maidan were also made during the past week.