Subway, Delhi

We could see the Delhi Metro being built/extended while we were there - the works were causing havoc with the traffic!! If the Calcutta Metro is anything to go by, it will be a fantastic way to get around, and very cheap too. I look forward to using it when I go back!

The Delhi Metro system is undergoing expansion at the moment, but offers a quick and clean service to central areas. The blue, yellow and red lines (lines 1,2 and 3) are in operation at the moment and timings are from 6am-11pm, 7 days a week. Fares range from 6 to 22 rupees one way, depending on distance travelled. Security is tight with bags being checked at all stations. Pay at the ticket booth and a plastic coin token will be given to you. Pass this over the sensor on the entrance gate to enter, keep the coin with you and deposit it in the slot when leaving your destination station.

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Delhi's metro system is amazing compared with all the other city transportation options. It has to be seen to be believed - clean, quick, cheap, easy and hassle free it only has one down side and that is - yep it gets very crowded! There are currently 3 lines with plans for another 7 in the pipeline with one of these connecting the airport to New Delhi Train Station.

The prices range from just Rs6 for a short journey to about Rs22 for longer ones. You can also buy a Tourist Card in which there are two types - 1 day which costs Rs70 and 3 days for Rs200. Personally I only used the metro a few times to get from Pahar Ganj to Connaught Place (or Rajiv Chowk as its known on the metro) so just bought single fare tickets which come in the form of a token. Tickets and tokens are bought at counters which are manned. Be warned that the metro only runs from between 6am to 10pm.

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For travellers arriving into Delhi at the New Delhi or the Old Delhi (Delhi Junction) stations, theres the added option to tave the metro service which connects to these two stations. There are underground stations just outside both these railway stations. You can find connections to North and West Delhi and to Connaught place etc... Its a pretty conventent way to do things, rather than have to deal with finding a cab or auto-rickshaw etc...

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My first ride on the Delhi metro came while shooting a tv show...
It dosent connect the city in a big way yet, but its network has been growing, and the first phase of the network is already in place. The next 2 phases will be ready in time for the 2010 Delhi Commonwealth Games. There is now a station at Connaught place, which may be of help to travellers-tourists. The metro connects you to the Red fort/ Chandni chowk/ Delhi University/ trans Yamuna areas/ Dwarka... and more areas.
Line 2, or the Yellow line, is useful for getting to Old Delhi (Chandni Chowk, Jama Masjid, etc) and New Delhi railway stations as well as the ISBT bus terminal. Fares range from Rs. 6 to 22.
The next phase is connecting the south Delhi areas and the satellite townships of Noida and Gurgaon. Once completed, it is scheduled to become one of the largest metro networks in the world.
Oh and clicking pictures at Metro stations and inside the trains is strictly forbidden and you could get into some trouble with the secirity if you are seen doing so...

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Delhi Merto rail Corporation or DMRC, plans to build multi storyed complexes with shops, restaurants, atm's etc, which will be integrated into the metro station area.
The metro has already started altering the real estate map of the city, with land prices around areas that get onto the metro map set to go spiralling upwards

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Finally, Delhi's own Metro system... Clean and efficient and as good as they come. However, its a system that should have been in place many years ago. Thankfully, the government woke up to the reality of desperately needing an efficient public transport system.
This is only the first phase in place for now- there are portions bieng added to the existing network by and by. This is one case though, of a government owned enterprise, which has met deadlines and delivered and setting a new benchmark in terms of infrastructure development.
The maximum fare for a journey on the network today (Oct 2006) is Rs 22. There are tokens available or smart cards which can be recharged and are very convenient for regular travellers as it helps you avoid the hassle of standing in queue each time to purchase tokens.

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For many years in the past, Delhi vied with Mexico City for the title of the world's most polluted metropolis.
For a few years now however, things have changed, and for the better.
After the Supreme court responded to a Public interest litigation, and literally armtwisted the authorities into implementing a long list of measures that had been drafted to clean up Delhi's air... the results have been all too visible.
The city's fleet of thousands of busses and autos, all run on CNG- compressed natural gas- which is a much cleaner fuel. That and several other measures, have meant that things are far better than before now...