On an average, 26 lakh people travel by Delhi Metro everyday. (File photo)
Delhi Metro witnessed above average ridership during the second phase of the odd-even scheme in the national capital, touching the 30 lakh mark on one of the working days.
According to data provided by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC), as many as 29.49 lakh commuters took the metro on April 18, a day which tested the city's public transport system as people returned to work after an extended weekend.
The DMRC had pressed into service three additional trains and 56 extra train trips to cushion the pressure on its system, which carries 26 lakh people daily on average, during the fortnight long curbs on private vehicles.
The first week of the scheme's enforcement that began on April 15 had an average daily ridership of 27.15 lakh (excluding public holidays) while the same was around 27.35 lakh on the second week.
Ridership, as expectedly, rose on the first working days of the week, that is on April 18 and April 25 to 29.49 lakh and 28.37 lakh respectively.
With the addition of trains and trips, a total of 200 trains ran during the odd-even period making around 3,248 trips daily, which was described by the corporation officials as the "maximum possible" deployment keeping the essential maintenance reserve.