Delhi: Five of nine closed Metro stations opened

New Delhi: After being shut for three days, five of the nine Delhi Metro stations were opened on Tuesday evening, an official said.

"Five metro stations, Pragati Maidan, Mandi House, Rajiv Chowk, Barakhamba Road and Khan Market, have been opened since 5 pm. Four other metro stations, Central Secretariat, Patel Chowk, Udyog Bhawan, and Race Course, remain closed," a Metro official said.

Delhi Metro shut the nine stations on the request of Delhi Police who wanted to prevent people protesting against the brutal gangrape of a young woman on December 16 from reaching the city centre. The closure of the Metro stations, particularly Rajiv Chowk, the capital's busiest, for three days; had inconvenienced thousands across the city.

"Metro trains are halting at Central Secretariat to enable passengers to switch trains. But at the other four stations, they are not halting," a Metro official said.

Both Rajiv Chowk in Connaught Place and Central Secretariat are also interchange stations. The Delhi Metro lost more than 200,000 passengers over the last three days due to the closure.

"For the three days we have recorded a dip in footfalls," Delhi Metro spokesman Anuj Dayal told IANS. But while passenger traffic didn't fall steeply on Saturday and on Sunday, it plunged from the usual 16 lakh to 14.22 lakh on Monday, he said.

Delhi Metro, the city's lifeline, daily ferries nearly 1.8 million passengers in 2,700 trips.