New Delhi, July 14 (IANS) Nearly 30,000 commuters in Ghaziabad Thursday used Delhi Metro on the first day of its further expansion into Uttar Pradesh, officials said.


Officials of Delhi Metro told IANS that till 6 p.m. the footfall on the new section's Vaishali station was 19,500 and at 9,600 at Kaushambhi station.

The new line linked Anand Vihar inter-state bus terminus in east Delhi to Vaishali, a newly-developed residential district of Ghaziabad town.

Ghaziabad has become the third centre in the National Capital Region to be connected to Delhi Metro after Gurgaon in Haryana and Noida, also in Uttar Pradesh.

According to the DMRC, Dwarka Sector 21 to Vaishali will become the second longest corridor of the Delhi Metro network with a route length of approximately 46 km.

Dwarka Sector 21 to Noida corridor is the longest stretch of the Metro network at 49 km.

"The frequency (of trains) would be 5 minutes 34 seconds and around 40,000 passengers are expected to travel on the section daily," Dayal said.

The travel time between Dwarka Sector 21 to Vaishali will be 81 minutes and 22 seconds. The total number of stations on the route are 41. The minimum fare is Rs.8 while maximum is Rs.30.

"Metro extension to Vaishali has made a huge difference by reducing travel time. Instead of waiting for a bus to reach Anand Vihar Metro station, now I can easily travel to my destination," said Sadhana Ramesh, a resident of Vaishali who works in Connaught Place.

The Vaishali Metro is an extension of the 35 km Dwarka-Yamuna Bank corridor.

Delhi Metro was operating 56 trains in this corridor. With the Ghaziabad line, it has increased up to 58.

Delhi Metro runs around 2,000 train trips and ferries more than 16 lakh passengers every day.