Transport in Delhi
History
Prior to independence in the 1940s, public transport in the city was in private hands, with people relying mainly on tongas [citation needed] and the bus service of the 'Gwalior Transport Company' and 'Northern India Transport Company'.[5] But with the growing city, it soon proved inadequate, thus Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) bus system was established in May 1948. The next big leap in city transport was the opening of Delhi Metro, a rapid transit system in 2002.
Overview
Public transport in the metropolis includes the
Private vehicles account for 30%[citation needed] of the total demand for transport, while the rest of the demand is met largely by auto-rickshaws, taxis, rapid transit system and railways.
The only international rail service in
Intra-city Transport
Road transport
Roads in Delhi are maintained by the
Buses
Delhi Transport Corporation (DTC) operates the world's largest fleet of CNG-powered buses. After Pune, Delhi was the second city in India to have an operational Bus rapid transit (BRT) system. However the BRT was dismantled in 2016 due to accidents and congestion.[10]
Delhi has one of India's largest bus transport systems. Buses are the most popular means of transport catering to about 60% of Delhi's total demand.
As of May 2023, the fleet size of buses in Delhi is as follows:
Ownership | Fleet Strength | Notes |
---|---|---|
DTC | 4060[14] | including 300 e-buses[14] |
DIMTS | 3319[14] | also known as Cluster Buses |
Delhi Metro Feeder | 742[15] | including 100 e-buses and additional 380 buses operated by GNCTD[16][17] |
Total | 8121 |
Auto-rickshaws
The auto-rickshaws (popularly known as Auto) are an important and popular means of public transportation in Delhi, as they are cheaper than taxis. Hiring an Auto in Delhi is very tricky, as very few auto-drivers agree to standard meter charges. The typical method is to
Taxis
Though easily available, taxis are not an integral part of Delhi public transport. There are over 113 registered taxis. The Indian Tourism Ministry and various private owners operate most taxis. The Tourism Ministry grants private companies permits to operate taxis. Recently, Radio Taxis have started to gain ground in Delhi. Some companies provide an on-call radio taxi service, which is slightly more expensive than conventional Black and Yellow taxis.
Cycle-rickshaws
Cycle-rickshaws are a popular mode of travel for short distance transits in the city. The pedal-powered rickshaws are easily available throughout the city and reckoned for being cheap and environment friendly. Often, tourists and citizens use them for joyrides, too. Of late, they have been phased out from the congested areas of Chandni Chowk because of their slow pace, which often leads to traffic snarls on the streets of Old Delhi. Still, they are the great source of public transport in Delhi.
Major Arteries
Inner Ring Road
Outer Ring Road
Outer Ring Road is another major artery in Delhi. The road which was almost neglected till the early 2000s is now an important highway that links far-flung areas of Delhi. The road is 6-8 lane and has grade-separators and a large number are under construction as a part of project to make the artery signal free. The road along with the ring road forms a ring which intersects all the National Highways passing through Delhi.
Expressways and National Highways
Delhi is connected by NH 1, NH 2, NH 8, NH 10 and NH 24. It also has three expressways (six- and eight-lane) that connect it with its suburbs. Delhi–Gurgaon Expressway connects Delhi with one of its financial hubs, Gurgaon, DND Flyway connects Delhi with its other financial hub, Noida and Delhi–Faridabad Skyway which connects Faridabad, major suburb to Delhi. Four more expressways are also planned.
NH 24 or Ghaziabad Road is a four-lane national highway which connects Delhi to Lucknow via Ghaziabad. As the Commonwealth Village is located close by Yamuna bridge on this highway, underpasses and flyover being built will help facilitate traffic between the eastern areas of Delhi/ Western UP and the rest of the city.
Rail transport
Rail based transport in the city has started to gain popularity with the introduction of Delhi Metro. Ring-Railway, which runs parallel to the Ring-Road system is another rail-based intra-city transport facility in Delhi.
Metro Railway
The Delhi Metro is being built in phases. Rapid increase of population coupled with large-scale immigration due to high economic growth has resulted in ever increasing demand for better transport, putting excessive pressure on the city's existent transport infrastructure. Like many other cities in the developing world, the city faces acute transport management problems leading to air pollution, congestion and resultant loss of productivity. In order to meet the transportation demand in Delhi, the State and Union government started the construction of a Mass Rapid Transit system, known as Delhi Metro in 1998. The project started commercial operations on 25 December 2002 between
Phase I consisted of 58 stations and 65.0 km (40.4 mi) of route length,
Phase II of the network consists of 124.6 km (77.4 mi) of route length and 85 stations,[21] and is fully completed, with the first section opened in June 2008 and the last line opened in August 2011.[23]
Phase-III has 28 underground stations, 2 new lines and 11 route extensions, totaling 167.27 km (103.94 mi), with a cost of ₹350 billion (US$4.4 billion) and having an expected completion date of mid 2019. Phase IV (113.2 km or 70.3 mi) is planned to be completed by 2025.[24]
Delhi Metro lines that operate as of January 2022:
Delhi Metro: present network | |||||||||
---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
Line No. | Line Name | First operational[25] | Last extension[25] | Stations[26] | Length (km)[26] |
Terminals | Rolling stock | Track gauge (mm) | |
1 | Red Line | 2002-12-24 | 2019-03-08 | 29 | 34.55 | Shaheed Sthal | Rithala |
39 trains | 1676 |
2 | Yellow Line | 2004-12-20 | 2015-11-10 | 37 | 49.02 | Samaypur Badli |
HUDA City Centre
|
64 trains | |
3 | Blue Line | 2005-12-31 | 2019-03-09 | 50 | 56.11 | Noida Electronic City | Dwarka Sector 21 |
74 trains | |
4 | 2010-01-07 | 2011-07-14 | 8 | 8.51 | Yamuna Bank |
Vaishali
| |||
5 | Green Line | 2010-04-03 | 2018-06-24 | 23 | 28.79 | Inderlok |
Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh |
20 trains | 1435
|
2011-08-27 | – | Ashok Park Main |
Kirti Nagar
| ||||||
6 | Violet Line | 2010-10-03 | 2018-11-19 | 34 | 46.34 | Kashmere Gate |
Raja Nahar Singh |
44 trains | |
Airport Express | Orange Line
|
2011-02-23 | – | 6 | 22.91 | New Delhi |
Dwarka Sector 21 |
10 trains | |
7 | Pink Line | 2018-03-14 | 2021-08-06 | 38 | 59.24 | Majlis Park | Shiv Vihar | 42 trains | |
8 | Magenta Line | 2017-12-24 | 2018-05-29 | 25 | 37.46 | Botanical Garden |
Janakpuri West |
26 trains | |
9 | Grey Line | 2019-10-04 | 2021-09-18 | 4 | 5.19 | Dwarka
|
Dhansa Bus Stand | 3 trains | |
2002-12-24 | 2021-09-18 | 254 | 348.12 | 310 trains |
Ring & Suburban Railway
Delhi Ring Railway | ||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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Ring railway is a 35-kilometre circular railway network in Delhi that runs parallel to the
Inter-state transport
Railway connectivity
Delhi is connected to whole of the nation through
Train Services
Regular train services available from railway stations in the city. The services are extended to all the states in the country. Services are provided by the national railway operator Indian Railways. The 5 railway stations in the city are:
- New Delhi Railway Station, Paharganj & Ajmeri Gate, Central Delhi district
- Delhi Junction, Mori Gate, Central Delhi district
- Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station, Nizamuddin East, South East Delhi district
- Delhi Sarai Rohilla Railway Station, Sarai Rohilla, Central Delhi district
- Anand Vihar Terminal Railway Station, Anand Vihar, Shahdara district
Regional Rapid Transport System (RRTS/RapidX)
- Sarai kale khan-Meerut RRTS (partially operational)
- Sarai kale khan-Panipat RRTS (under construction)
- Sarai kale khan-Gurugram-Alwar RRTS (under construction)
Delhi Metro
Road
Highways
The city is believed to have the highest road density in the country and is well connected to the rest of the nation through five major national highways, namely NH 1, NH 2, NH 8, NH 10 and NH 24. The highways around city are being upgraded into expressways with ultra-modern facilities.
Bus services
Regular bus services are available from
Delhi Transport Infrastructure Development Corporation Limited (DTIDC) operates 4 major Inter-State Bus Terminals (ISBT):[30]
- Maharana Pratap Inter State Bus Terminus at Kashmere Gate in central Delhi.
- Anand Vihar east of Yamunariver in East Delhi.
- Sarai Kale Khan Inter-State Bus Terminus at Sarai Kale Khan in South East Delhi.
- South Delhi.
- Narela Inter State Bus Terminus, planned in West Delhi.[30]
- Aerocity Inter State Bus Terminus (Aerocity ISBT), adjacent to the Aerocity Metro Interchange Station near Terminal-1 of IGI in South Delhi, proposed in 2023.[31]
Airports
Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI) serves Delhi for both domestic and international connections, and is situated in the southwestern corner of the city, alongside Delhi-Gurgaon Expressway. In the year 2015–16, IGI recorded a traffic of over 48 million passengers.[32] Being the busiest airport in the South Asian region, IGI airport has three terminals - Terminal 1 & Terminal 2 for domestic operations only and Terminal 3 - with mixed use i.e. primary International and the rest of the domestic operations(Vistara and Air India) - in addition of T1 & T2[33]
The airport was and still witnessing massive expansion and modernisation by a consortium led by GMR Infra. The new Terminal T3 was inaugurated in 2010 in line of the historic Commonwealth Games being held and Delhi is today India's only city to have an airport of this size. Terminals 4, 5 and 6 will be built in a phased manner. By 2024, airport will have four runways and will handle more than 100 million passengers per year.[34]
Hindon Domestic Airport in Ghaziabad was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi as the second airport for the Delhi-NCR Region on the 8 March 2019.[35]
Apart from the expanded IGI airport, Delhi might also receive a second international airport by 2024. The airport, being named as
East-west connectivity bridges
Yamuna bridges in Delhi
The total length of the Yamuna inside Delhi is 22 km from the Wazirabad barrage to the Okhla barrage. This stretch of the river has 14 bridges (nine of them for road traffic), including those built by Delhi Metro (4) and Indian Railways (1). 4 bridges are under construction — 1 for road traffic and 3 for rail traffic.[36][37][38]
- Road Bridges
- Old Wazirabad bridge (barrage-cum-bridge)
- Signature Bridge
- Yudhishthir Setu
- Rajghat/Geeta Colony bridge
- Old ITO bridge, Vikas Marg (barrage-cum-bridge)
- New Nizamuddin Bridge
- DND Flyway
- Okhla barrage bridge
- Barapullah Phase-III extension (under construction)
- Road-Rail Bridges
- Old Yamuna Bridge (Lohe-ka-Pul)
- Rail bridges
- Delhi Metro
- Kashmere Gate to Shastri Park (Red Line)
- Indraprastha to Yamuna Bank (Blue Line)
- Nizamuddin to Mayur Vihar (Pink Line)
- Kalindi Kunj to Okhla Bird Sanctuary (Magenta Line)
- Jagatpur to Sonia Vihar (Pink Line) (under construction)
- Indian Railways
- New Yamuna Bridge (under construction)[39]
- Delhi-Meerut RRTS
- Under construction[40]
- Delhi Metro
Other bridges in NCR
Future projects
This article needs to be updated.(September 2023) |
There are many transport infrastructure projects underway in Delhi. Most had their deadlines set in late 2009 and early 2010, just before the 2010 Commonwealth Games. As of 2023, most of them have been completed. They are listed below -
Rail
- Upgrading of New Delhi and Old Delhi railway stations of Northern Railways.
- Delhi metro has new line of super-fast Delhi Airport Express Line having maximum speed of 135 km/h line to connect to IGI Airport.
- Introduction of Monorail (45 km) and Light Rail Transithas been aborted till 2010.
- Reintroducing
- Anand Vihar Railway Terminalto reduce the train loads over Old Delhi Station and New Delhi Railway Station. Besides that the station will also serve the densely populated Eastern part of Delhi, along with the neighbouring suburbs of Ghaziabad and Noida.
- A high-speed rail link that would link
Road
- Two upcoming bridges over Yamuna will connect Faridabad to Noida and Greater Noida. One of the bridges would connect Faridabad-Noida-Ghaziabad (FNG) expressway from Noida's Sector 150 to National Highway 1 in Faridabad. The other bridge is proposed to link Noida's Sector 168 with Faridabad's Badoli village (Near Bypass Road)[43] Government has already approved construction of the road connecting Faridabad and Greater Noida that will improve the connectivity with clearances received from both Haryana and Uttar Pradesh Governments[44] The much-awaited FNG (Faridabad-Noida-Ghaziabad Expressway) is finally coming on track and will provide fast connectivity to daily commuters of the area once complete; apart from this, it is also emerging as an excellent stretch for real estate development. FNG Expressway is around 56 km long with 19.9 km in Noida–Greater Noida region, 8 km in Ghaziabad, while the rest 28.1 km is in the Faridabad region, especially the developing sectors of Neharpar Faridabad or Greater Faridabad. According to the plan, FNG from Noida side will become operational in the next 14 months while it would take three years for the whole stretch to become fully operational.[45] The completed expressway designed by IIT-Roorkee will offer commuters direct connectivity between Noida and Greater Faridabad[46]
- Mathura Road. Unified Traffic and Transportation Infrastructure (Planning and Engineering) Centre gave the Public Works Department its consent to move ahead after Lieutenant-Governor Najeeb Junggave the approval to the project.
Air
- Revamp of IGI Airport is underway to improve its infrastructure, passenger capacity and efficiency.
- Jewar Airport in Gautam Budhh Nagar district will start operations in 2025.
- Union Civil Aviation Minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju inaugurated the Rohini Heliport on February 28, 2017.[48]
Delhi Traffic Police transport helpline
Owing to a large number of complaints from consumers, the Delhi Government in association with Delhi Traffic Police runs a staffed transport helpline which can be reached at 011-23010101 while dialing from within the city. Citizens can make traffic related complaints and suggestions. One can also report traffic violations observed and misbehavior/refusal/overcharging by autorickshaws, buses and taxis.[49]
See also
- Transport in India
- Bus rapid transit (BRT)
- Clean development mechanism
- Delhi Metro
- Delhi Transport Corporation
- Highways passing from Delhi
References and notes
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- ^ Prithwi (9 January 2008). "Traffic snarl snaps 42 Cr man-hour from Delhi, NCR workers". iGovernment. Archived from the original on 10 January 2008.
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- ^ "Capital story: Managing a New Delhi". Hindustan Times. 1 September 2011. Archived from the original on 8 December 2012.
- ^ "Delhi Transport" (PDF). Delhi Govt. Retrieved 14 May 2006.
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- ^ "Delhi – Indira Gandhi International Airport (IGI Airport) information". Essential Travel Ltd., UK. Archived from the original on 19 July 2006. Retrieved 29 April 2006.
- ^ a b "Railway eyes rail link to China". The Times of India. 10 March 2011. Archived from the original on 21 November 2011.
- ^ "Delhi's CNG success inspiring many countries : Naik". Outlook. Archived from the original on 1 February 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ^ "Chapter 12: Transport" (PDF). Economic Survey of Delhi, 2005–2006. Planning Department, Government of National Capital Territory of Delhi. pp. 130–146. Archived from the original (PDF) on 16 January 2007. Retrieved 21 December 2006.
- ^ "Delhi to phase out Blueline buses". Sify. Archived from the original on 1 November 2014.
- ^ "Blueline buses to fade out soon". The Times Of India. 10 December 2009.
- ^ a b c "Delhi's AAP govt readies scheme to launch premium city buses, seeks LG's sign-off". Hindustan Times. 8 May 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ "BASELINE REPORT - Enabling Strategic Plan: Master Plan for Delhi 2041" (PDF).
- ^ "DMRC to handover feeder e-buses to Delhi govt from April onwards: Official". www.business-standard.com. 21 February 2023. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 8 May 2023.
- ^ Chander Joshi, Vimal (19 June 2015). "Gone! Toll plaza fully dismantled | Gurgaon News". The Times of India. Retrieved 27 March 2020.
- ^ a b "Delhi Metro About Us Introduction". DMRC. Retrieved 20 September 2016.
- ^ Sadana, Rashmi. "Metrocity Journal: Delhi's Changing Landscape". The Wall Street Journal. Retrieved 12 June 2012.
- ^ a b "PROJECT UPDATE". Delhi Metro Rail Corporation. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014. Retrieved 2 March 2014.
- ^ "Phase 1 complete, Pragati Maidan now on Metro map". Express India. 27 October 2006. Archived from the original on 31 December 2020. Retrieved 18 April 2010.
- ^ Ramachandran, Smriti Kak (17 September 2007). "Delhi Metro confident of meeting deadline". The Hindu. New Delhi. Archived from the original on 3 March 2018. Retrieved 10 September 2009.
- ^ "Completion targets of Metro Phase-4 will depend on Covid-19 scenario: DMRC". Hindustan Times. 20 June 2021. Retrieved 11 January 2022.
- ^ a b "Present Network". Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. Retrieved 8 March 2019.
- ^ a b "Route Map". Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. Retrieved 23 September 2018.
- ^ Varma, Vishnu (11 March 2016). "Ring Railway left behind as Delhi swells beyond boundaries". The Indian Express. New Delhi. Retrieved 11 December 2021.
- Indian Express. 22 February 2011.
- ^ "Ring Rail service chugs into oblivion". Deccan Herald. 4 February 2012.
- ^ a b Eye on IGI: Work to start soon at Dwarka, timesofindia, 22 march 2022.
- ^ IGI एयरपोर्ट के पास बनेगा नया बस अड्डा, यूपी-पंजाब के यात्रियों को होगा सीधा फायदा, navbharattimes, 16 dec 2023.
- ^ "TRAFFIC STATISTICS – DOMESTIC & INTERNATIONAL PASSENGERS" (PDF). Airports Authority of India. p. 3. Archived from the original (jsp) on 27 May 2016. Retrieved 5 May 2016.
- ^ "Delhi – Indira Gandhi International Airport (DEL)". Indianexpress.com. 16 August 2009. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
- ^ Thursday, 10 Jan 2008 at 0000 hrs IST (10 January 2008). "2nd airport won't hit IGI, says govt". Financialexpress.com. Retrieved 17 February 2011.
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- ^ Doomra, Manik (28 June 2019). "Bridges Over Yamuna in Delhi". urbanprecis.com. Urban Précis. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ Singh, Paras (6 November 2018). "Delhi needs 20 more bridges just to meet current road traffic load". Times of India. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ Roy, Sidharatha (23 February 2021). "Work kicks off on 17th bridge across Yamuna". Times of India. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Construction ban extended till Nov 21, Metro projects among those exempted". Hindustan Times. 18 November 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
Among important railway projects in the city where work will continue is construction of the New Yamuna bridge – being built parallel to the Old Yamuna bridge (Loha Pul). The new structure was set to be completed by December 2020, but COVID-19 delayed work.
- ^ "NCRTC starts work on bridge over Yamuna for Delhi-Meerut RRTS link". Hindustan Times. 23 February 2021. Retrieved 16 December 2021.
- ^ "Trams to ply on streets of Delhi again". The Economic Times. 4 March 2014.
- ^ "Delhi to bring back a slice of history — trams". The Indian Express. 5 March 2014.
- ^ "Two bridges across Yamuna to link Noida and Haryana". The Times of India. Retrieved 15 May 2013.
- ^ "Nod for road joining Greater Noida, Faridabad". The Times of India. Retrieved 13 August 2014.
- ISSN 0971-8257. Retrieved 19 October 2023.
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- ^ "Kalindi Kunj bypass gets a go ahead at last".
- ^ "Delhi: India's first heliport inaugurated in Rohini". The Indian Express. 21 February 2017. Retrieved 21 February 2017.
- ^ "Delhi Traffic Police transport helpline number". Delhitrafficpolice.nic.in. Archived from the original on 23 February 2011. Retrieved 17 February 2011.