Travelling On Diwali? Delhi Metro Revises Timings; 3 Lines To Start Early, Last Train To Run At 10 PM

Commuters will need to adjust their travel plans as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced a revised schedule for Sunday, with early services on three metro lines and an earlier closing time across the entire network.

Planning to celebrate Diwali and travel across Delhi by metro? Commuters will need to adjust their travel plans as the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced a revised schedule for Sunday, with early services on three metro lines and an earlier closing time across the entire network.

Under the revised arrangement, metro services on the Pink, Magenta and Grey lines will begin an hour earlier than their usual Sunday schedule. Meanwhile, the last metro train across all corridors, including the Airport Express Line, will depart an hour earlier at 10 pm instead of the regular 11 pm.

The changes come as Delhi-NCR braces for Diwali celebrations amid deteriorating air quality, prompting the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) to invoke Stage 3 restrictions under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across the region.

Here's a detailed look at the revised metro schedule:

Delhi Metro Diwali timings: Which lines will start early?

According to the DMRC's revised schedule, services on the Pink, Magenta and Grey lines, which typically commence at 7 am on Sundays, will start operating from 6 am on Diwali.

The revised early-morning schedule will apply to the following routes:

Pink Line: Majlis Park-Shiv Vihar

Magenta Line: Botanical Garden-Krishna Park Extension and Majlis Park-Deepali Chowk

Grey Line: Dwarka-Kakrola-Dhansa Bus Stand

The last metro service on every line, including the Airport Express corridor, will leave from its respective terminal station at 10 pm, instead of the usual 11 pm.

The DMRC has urged passengers to plan their journeys accordingly and check its official website and social media handles for any further announcements.

GRAP-3 restrictions imposed across Delhi-NCR ahead of Diwali

The CAQM invoked Stage 3 measures under the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) across Delhi-NCR on Friday as a precautionary measure amid mounting concerns over worsening air pollution. Under GRAP-3 restrictions, construction and demolition activities that generate dust and contribute to air pollution have been prohibited across the National Capital Region.

The Delhi and NCR state governments have also been asked to consider whether public, municipal and private offices should operate with only 50 per cent of their workforce physically present, while the remaining employees work from home.

The decision followed forecasts warning of a further deterioration in the capital's air quality. In its daily bulletin, IITM-Pune predicted that Delhi's air quality would remain in the 'very poor' category on Friday before deteriorating to the 'severe' category from Saturday through Monday.

The forecast for the subsequent six days also indicated that pollution levels could fluctuate between the 'very poor' and 'severe' categories.

How severe is Delhi's air pollution?

Delhi's average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 389 in the 'very poor' category at 8 am on Friday, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB). However, several monitoring stations across the city recorded alarmingly high pollution levels in the 'severe' category.

IIT Delhi and Rohini topped the list with an AQI of 474 each. Punjabi Bagh followed at 465, while RK Puram recorded 443. Other areas, including ITO, Firoz Shah Road and India Gate, registered AQI readings of 422, 420 and 403, respectively.

Pollution levels remained elevated across several other locations as well. Anand Vihar and Akshardham recorded an AQI of 359 each, while IGI Airport Terminal 3 reported 385. Aya Nagar and Chandni Chowk registered readings of 393 and 391, respectively.

As part of efforts to control dust pollution, municipal authorities deployed truck-mounted water sprinklers around India Gate.

The situation had remained concerning on Thursday as well, with Delhi recording an AQI of 382 in the 'very poor' category at 4 pm, according to the CAQM.