More and more Delhiites travel in urban trains

A decade has passed since it changed the way people travel, and a majority of Delhiites still prefer the Metro to commute across the city for fear of getting caught in maddening traffic jams, says a new survey.

Saving time, punctuality of trains, reserved coaches for women and behaviour of the Metro staff are some of the reasons that have made over two million commuters still stick to the Metro, which is also credited with instilling a civic sense among people.

The survey done by Marketxcel to measure service quality and assess customer satisfaction with Metro throws light on some of the areas where the modern transport system has to walk the extra mile to keep its passengers a little more happier.

Conducted with participation of 5,000 people, the survey found 34 per cent feel that much time can be saved on the Metro while more than three-fifth respondents found the travelling experience favourable.

“Nine out of 10 people were satisfied with the accuracy of announcement during commuting, and functioning of light and AC. At least 65 per cent claimed travelling in Metro is faster and hassle-free journey,” says the survey.

The survey conducted between November 12 and November 26 at nine stations coincides with the completion of 10 years of Delhi Metro, which began operations with just 8 km.
Today, it has a network close to 200 km and carries over two million people a day.

Delhi Metro spokesperson Anuj Dayal said the Metro has been working to balance all its capabilities to maximise customer satisfaction for the last 10 years. Other features that got appreciation are the wide network, conversion of four-coach trains into six-coach ones, adequate information and display of maps and stations, and behaviour of Metro staff.

But one important issue among the negative things that commuters are worried about is the presence of men in women’s coaches during rush hours. “Compartments designated for women have been introduced in all trains by the DMRC, but women cite instances when men board those too during peak hours,” the survey says.