Delhi Metro to run 20 extra weekday trips from Tuesday as AQI hits 324, GRAP 2 curbs kick in

NEW DELHI: With Delhi’s air quality slipping into the ‘very poor’ category and Stage 2 of the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP) coming into force across the NCR, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will operate 20 additional train trips on weekdays from Tuesday to encourage commuters to use public transport and reduce vehicular pollution.

The additional services will take the total number of extra trips being operated by the Delhi Metro to 40, the DMRC said on Monday.

In the wake of the implementation of GRAP-II in the capital, Delhi Metro will be running 20 more trips from tomorrow on weekdays, thereby increasing the total number of additional trips on its network by 40. This is to encourage more and more people to use public transport instead of their private vehicles and help mitigate pollution,” the corporation said.

The move comes after the Commission for Air Quality Management (CAQM) invoked Stage 2 of GRAP across Delhi-NCR as pollution levels worsened.

Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 324 at 4pm on Monday, marking the first ‘very poor’ air quality reading of the season and the highest level recorded in nine months.