New Delhi, Jan 30 (IANS) The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) Monday said they are planning to install advanced Passenger Information Display System (PIDS) at Metro stations in order to avoid chaos and confusion at the stations.
To begin with, PIDS will be placed within three months at the two busiest interchange stations – Rajiv Chowk and Kashmere Gate. Later, it will be placed at other Metro stations.
“The PIDS at Rajiv Chowk and Kashmere Gate Metro stations will be coming in three months. The PIDS system, which now displays the name of the train and the timing, will also give information on whether the next train will be a four-coach or six-coach train,” Delhi Metro spokesperson Anuj Dayal said.
The DMRC’s decision comes a day after a Metro guard at Rajiv Chowk Metro station had a narrow escape when he fell on the track while trying to help a four-year-old boy whose foot had got stuck between the doors of the last coach of a four-coach train.
The toddler was safely rescued by another guard while the one who fell on the track received some injuries.
According to regular commuters, confusion and chaos has prevailed at busy stations like Rajiv Chowk and Kashmere Gate ever since six-coach trains have been included in the fleet.
“Everyday, we have a problem. We don’t have a clue whether the next train is going to be a four-coach or a six-coach train. Whenever there is a four-coach train, commuters at the end of the platform suddenly push and run towards the train, resulting in a lot of confusion,” Amrita Sinha, a regular commuter said.
“At times, the commuters crane their necks just to see whether the approaching train is a four- or six-coach, and we are scared that they might slip and fall onto the track,” Hemant Kumar, a Metro guard told IANS.
The footfall at Rajiv Chowk station has gone up from 3 lakh a day in 2008 to about 4.5 lakh in 2012. The daily footfall at Kashmere Gate Metro station stands at 2.5 lakh.
As an immediate step towards ensuring the safety of commuters, DMRC has commenced announcements over loud hailers at Rajiv Chowk and Kashmere Gate Metro stations regarding the arrival of four-coach or six-coach trains.
“Till the PIDS are installed, security guards with loud hailers have been deployed on the platforms at the Rajiv Chowk and Kashmere gate Metro stations, at the location where a six-coach train ends. Whenever, a four-coach train is scheduled to come, they would make announcements in advance requesting passengers to position themselves accordingly on the platform,” Dayal said.
As of now, the Delhi Metro makes over 2,400 trips per day, traversing about 70,000 km and carrying around 1.8 million passengers on working days.
