The Delhi Metro service is undoubtedly the Indian capital’s lifeline as a lot of people depend on commuting by it to work and elsewhere. The Delhi Metro has remained in operation for over 20 years ever since it was launched in 2002.
The stations are clean, spacious, safe, and user-friendly. They have signages at strategic places which can be extremely helpful for first-timers and foreigners. The routes are complex but they are well-represented on the station maps and can be easily interpreted even by those who are not familiar with the service. The Delhi Metro infrastructure is impeccable and amazing. The trains run on environment-friendly technology and save a lot of energy. Delhi Metro trains are UN certified because they have taken major leaps in reducing the carbon footprint.
Efforts are on to extend more lines and accommodate more routes to make Delhi a well-connected place on the Metro web. There are as many as 9 operational lines, something that you would not find elsewhere. It serves approximately 255 stations and qualifies as the busiest, largest, and the second oldest metro rail system in the country after Kolkata. The color coded lines and their corresponding numbers are — Red (1); Yellow (2); Blue (3); Green (4); Violet (5); Orange (6); Pink (7); Magenta (8); and Gray (9).
The Delhi Metro does not serve the city alone but also connects the NCR cities like Noida, Gurugram, Ghaziabad, and Faridabad. The metro stations can be quite a crowded place to be in, especially during the rush hours. This is because the metro service is easy on the pocket, is fast and efficient. Boarding and departure is on-time always. It has been estimated that nearly 1.5 million people take the metro daily at various times of the day and night.
Most stations have guards and security doors on the waiting platforms which connect with the train doors; this reduces accidents. The operational hours begin as early as 5 in the morning and continue till 11:30 at night, but the timings could slightly vary with stations. On average, the trains complete 3000+ trips daily.
Important Routes of Delhi Metro
For an overview of some of the important routes. The Red Line serves 29 stations from Rithala in Rohini area to Shaheed Sthal in Ghaziabad. The Yellow Line serves 37 stations, connecting Samaypur Badli Metro Station with Huda City Center. While the Blue Line serves 50 stations, connecting Noida Electronic City with Dwarka Sector 21, the Green Line serves 24 stations, connecting Inderlok and Brigadier Hoshiyar Singh, with a branch line connecting the line’s Ashok Park Main Station with Kirti Nagar.
The Violet Line serves 34 stations, the only line connecting Delhi, Faridabad, and Ballabgarh. The Orange Line serves only 6 stations, connecting New Delhi with Dwarka Sector 21. The Pink Line connects Majlis Park in north-west Delhi to Shiv Vihar in north-east Delhi. As for the Magenta Line, it serves 25 stations, connecting Botanical Garden with Janakpuri West. And the Gray Line serves the least number of stations connecting 4 stops – running between Dwarka and Dhansa Bus Stand station.
It is quite common to lose belongings in congested spaces like an overcrowded Delhi Metro train on a typical rush day. Things might either fall off in a hurry to catch the train, or they may get left behind on board a train, or while waiting at the platform station.
The Lost and Found Office has an interesting display of items, some of which are never claimed and eventually get disposed of or donated to charitable organizations. From electronic gadgets to expensive accessories; wearables like spectacles, scarves, hats, umbrellas to important documents like credit cards, ID cards, driving licenses, and more. So if you are ever to face a similar experience on a Delhi Metro train, here’s what you do.
1. Approach the Customer Care Desk
You must stay sharp and be vigilant about your things when you are traveling by the public transport system because they are usually packed during peak hours. However, sometimes it’s plain bad luck to lose things despite your best efforts. Please report a missing item immediately at the nearest customer care center. You will find one at all the metro stations so choose the one at your destination station; the sooner you report, the higher the chances of recovery. Provide an ID proof to place your search request with the authorities.
2. Call the Delhi Metro Helpline
You can enquire about your lost things by dialing +91-11- 155370 or 011 23417910/12 . If you prefer to write an email, here is the email address to note [email protected]. Calls can be made anywhere between 10 am and 5 pm daily, except on Sundays. Someone on the other end of the line should be able to assist you with logging a complaint and explaining their retrieval procedure so that you know the time window within which you can expect an action from the authorities. Please make sure that you are given a case file number which you will require to track updates in future till the time you are claiming your things.
The Lost and Found Office at the Kashmere Gate Metro Station has another landline number 011- 23860837 that you can use to inquire about your things if the above mobile number is unreachable.
3. Check the Official Website
You can also check their official website www.delhimetrorail.com. Here they offer a brief description of lost and found articles. If you are lucky, you can find a matching description and contact the concerned authorities to claim your things. Contact the Lost and Found office of the respective metro station within 24 hours of losing your items. They usually send unclaimed items to the Lost and Found department at the Kashmere Gate Station after 24 hours.
The Kashmere Gate Metro Lost and Found office is located at Concourse level, below platform no. 3, Kashmere Gate Metro Station. They are open between 8 am and 8 pm everyday, except Sundays and national holidays.
