Local’s Guide to Delhi Metro
Everything you need to know to travel like a pro
Namastey! How are you today?
Delhi is a huge city which nearly 20 Million call their home. At times traffic gets bad. Here comes the savior, a superhero which saves the capital city from the traffic monster, and its name is — Delhi Metro. (Arghhhh… good opening, aye?) Metro is indeed the lifeline of Delhi. It is convenient, fast and inexpensive, but is not used to its full potential by travelers. I wanted to write this piece since long, to help people, especially travelers know inside out of this worthy mode of local transport in Delhi.
Geeky Intro — Facts don’t lie!
Did you know more than 2.7 Million people travel through Delhi Metro daily?
2.7 Million is huge! It’s much more than the population of the city where I come from. If it were a city, Delhi Metro will be the 8th largest city in India and just shy of the population of Chicago. Delhi Metro is one of the largest metro systems in the world and certainly the best in India. It has 8 Color Coded lines and 231 stations, building more than 300 Kilometers (190 miles) of network within Delhi. It runs daily, from 6 AM to 11 PM and is like a spiderweb, covering nearly every important place in Delhi, including Airport, railway stations etc. Its good connectivity, cheap price and speed makes it the best traveling option around Delhi.
Understanding the system
The system is pretty easy to use. A typical metro journey would look like this — security check, tap in with metro-card, board the train, get down, tap out.
There are many useful apps on the app store, but I will recommend the same app I used when I came here first. The app is called Delhi-NCR Metro app (iOS|Android). It works offline and has every required detail, like your nearest station, nearest station to famous places, journey details, price, etc. It is very comprehensive, reliable, and easy to use. Otherwise, if you are connected to the internet, you get all the information on google.
Now, let’s get started and buy you a card.
Buying a Metro-card: A metro smart card can be purchased from a customer information window at any metro station. There are various options available:
Smart Card: It costs 200₹ (Rupees) and comes with an initial recharge of 150₹, (50₹ refundable deposit). After that, this prepaid card can be recharged in multiples of 100₹. Recharges can be done online (Using Paytm|Freecharge|Olamoney) or at the customer information window at any station. You get a 10% discount on every journey. Highly recommended if you are here for a longer duration.
Tourist Card: A tourist card gives you unlimited travel for a small duration. A 1-day card comes for 200₹ and a 3-day card will cost you 500₹. There is a one time deposit of 50₹ which is refunded at the time of return. Recommended if you are in Delhi for 3-days or less.
Token: Token is valid for one journey and its price depends upon the destination. The process of buying a token is tedious as there are long queues at the token counter. Also, you miss on the extra 10% you get when you use a card. For these reasons, token might not be a good option for travelers.
Now that we have our cards, let’s take a journey together.
A typical Metro Journey
Google or Use the app to find your nearest station and the closest station to your destination. Every metro station has just two platforms, catering to the trains going in the opposite directions. When you know the destination station, you just need to know which train to take. Delhi metro identifies trains with the name of the final destination station. Use the app to know your journey and where the train is going ‘towards’ i.e. the final destination of the train. Also, if you need to change lines at some point, the app will tell you the name of the junction and the ‘towards’ of the train for each part. Don’t hesitate to ask for help if you feel lost, people are friendly and most of them will understand English.
Fares: Delhi Metro is cheap. The Minimum fare which pertains to a journey within 2 kilometers is 10₹ and the maximum is 60₹ for a journey over 32 kilometers. That means the fare is between 2–5 ₹/km, while the same for cab and taxis would be 12–20 ₹/km. A tourist card will give you an unlimited number of journeys within the specified period, which can be the cheapest option out there.
Local’s Tips for Safety
Delhi Metro is one of the safest options to travel, but there is no harm in taking some extra precautions.
- The first compartment (in the direction of the train, towards engine) is reserved for women, always.
- Keep your mobile and wallet safe. Wear backpack frontwards in the crowd.
- There are seats reserved for women and senior citizens in every coach.
- On the platforms and in the train, information is displayed and announced regularly, in Hindi and English.
- I would not recommend using the Metro if you have heavy luggage with you. There’s a 15 kg limit to the luggage on Delhi Metro.
- Reach out to people if you are confused. People are helpful and most of them can talk in English.
- Rapid Metro (Gurgaon) runs from 6 AM to 10 PM. If you are traveling from Delhi to Gurgaon, make sure you reach Sikandarpur Metro Station before 10 PM and change to rapid-metro from there.
Summary
We at Befikra are promoting a different way to travel — Travel like a local! Delhi Metro is one great way to do this. Delhi Metro is not just fast and cost-effective but also gives you a chance to look into the real life of the locals. When you travel like a Delhite, you’re no mere traveler, you feel connected to their everyday life. You feel the fun, the hustle of the locals, and you become one of them, you become a Delhite.
Thank-you for reading. Do follow our blog if you wanna explore this way of traveling across the world, one place at a time. We are currently on our Delhi blog and there are loads of good-stuff to come.
I’m adding a list of metro stations near famous places for your reference.
Metro Station near Famous Places
- Airport T3: IGI Airport station on the Airport Line is connected to IGI Airport Terminal-3.
- Airport T1: Terminal 1 IGI Airport Station on Magenta Line is a 5-minute walk from the airport area.
- Akshardham Temple: Akshardham Metro station on Blue Line is a 5-minute walk away.
- Connaught Place (CP): Rajiv Chowk Metro station on Yellow and Blue line is at the inner-circle of Connaught Place. It is the busiest station of the Delhi Metro.
- Chandni Chowk: Chandini Chowk Metro Station onYellow line is closest to the market and also to famous food places: Paranthe wali Gali, Haldirams, Natraj Dahi-Bhalla and others.
- Delhi Haat: INA Station on Yellow line and Pink Line is just a 2-minute walk away.
- Gurudwara Shri Bangla Saheb: Shivaji Stadium Station on the Airport Line is just down the lane. Patel Chowk Station on Yellow line is 700 meters from the place.
- Hazrat Nizamuddin Railway Station: Jangpura Metro Station on Violet line is 2 Kilometers from the railway station. Take an auto-rickshaw or E-rickshaw from here.
- Humayun’s Tomb: JLN Metro Station (Jawahar Lal Nehru Metro Station) on Violet Line is 2 kilometers away. An auto-rickshaw would take 50 Rupees to get to Humayun’s Tomb from here.
- Hauz Khas Village: IIT Station on Magenta line is a kilometer from HKV, so you might wanna take an auto-rickshaw. Otherwise, Green Park Station on Yellow Line is two kilometers away.
- India Gate: Nearest Metro station is Central Secretariat on Yellow line. Exit from Gate Number 3 and you’re on Rajpath. It’s a 1.5 Km walk so you might want to take an auto-rickshaw.
- Jama Masjid: Jama Masjid Station on Violet Line is just a 5-minute walk from the mosque.
- Khan Market: Khan Market Metro station on Violet Line is just outside the market.
- Laal Mandir (Jain Temple): Lal Quila station on Violet Line is at a walking distance. Otherwise, Chandni Chowk Metro Station on Yellow Line is just a kilometer away. It is just across the Red Fort, so visit it along with Red Fort.
- Lotus Temple: Kalkaji Mandir on Violet and Magenta Line is the nearest station, just a 5-minute walk away.
- Lodhi Garden: Lok Kalyan Marg on Yellow Line is at a kilometer distance. You might wanna take an auto-rickshaw from the station.
- Majnu Ka Tila: Vidhan-Sabha and Vishwavidyalaya station on metro line are both 1 km from Majnu ka Tila. You will get many auto-rickshaw or E-Rickshaws taking you to the destination from both stations.
- New Delhi Railway Station: New Delhi Metro Station on Yellow line and Airport Line is just outside the Railway Station.
- Old Delhi Railway Station: Chandni Chowk Station on Yellow Line very close to Old Delhi Railway Station.
- Qutub Minar: Qutub Minar Metro Station on Yellow line is 2 Kilometers from Qutub Minar. An auto-rickshaw will charge about 60 Rupees to reach Qutub Minar from the metro station.
- Red Fort: Lal Quila on Violet Line is walking distance near. Chandni Chowk on Yellow line is 1 km from Red Fort.
- Select City Walk and DLF Mall - Saket: There is a Saket Station but Malviya Nagar on Yellow Line is nearest to the malls.
