From 2002 to 2026: Delhi Metro enthusiast continues first-ride tradition

New Delhi, Mar 9 (PTI) From being a passenger in the inaugural Delhi Metro in 2002 to his latest ride in new corridors this year, Anil Marwah has kept the tradition of taking the first ride on new routes alive for more than two decades now.

For most people, a new metro line means a faster commute, but for the 65-year-old, it means another page in a carefully preserved album, an album not of photos but metro smart cards.

As the two new metro routes connecting Majlis Park to Maujpur and Majlis Park to Deepali Chowk were inaugurated on Sunday, the metro enthusiast was once again present with his albums, continuing his 24-year-old tradition and becoming one of the first passengers on the new corridors.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) commenced train services at 3 pm on the two newly inaugurated corridors after they were flagged off earlier in the day by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Marwah, proudly displaying his collection, said that his album consisted of every first-day Delhi Metro smart card issued for the newly opened corridors.

His carefully preserved collection includes the cards, photographs from inaugural rides before entering the metro, newspaper clippings and even recognition from the Limca Book of World Records, all neatly stored in albums he carries to metro inaugurations.

"My story with Delhi Metro started on December 25, 2002. Earlier, I had lived in Japan for a year from 1988 to 1989, and I was very fascinated that the metro trains there ran through the colonies. I used to wonder when something like that would start in Delhi," Marwah told PTI.

He recalled that when the metro finally started, he was living in Rajender Nagar and went with his son to Shahdara so that they could take the first ride.

"We couldn't get a ticket, so we bought a card for the first trip. After that, as new extensions kept getting added, I kept trying to get the cards and travel on them as the first passenger. I have managed to maintain the passion all until today," he said.

Speaking about the newly opened routes, Marwah said the inauguration marked the addition of his 41st and 42nd cards.

"This card has been issued at Deepali Chowk, making it my 42nd card, and I hope that I can continue this trend until the 25th anniversary of the Delhi Metro," he said.

The prime minister also laid the foundation stone for three additional metro lines aimed at further improving connectivity across the national capital.

The two new corridors include a 12.3 km stretch of the Pink Line between Majlis Park and Maujpur Babarpur and a 9.9 km section of the Magenta Line connecting Deepali Chowk to Majlis Park.

According to DMRC, the corridors are expected to benefit residents in several areas, including Burari, Jagatpur-Wazirabad, Khajuri Khas, Bhajanpura, Yamuna Vihar, Madhuban Chowk, Haiderpur Badli Mor, Bhalaswa and Majlis Park.

For Marwah, however, every new corridor carries a personal meaning, another card for the album and another memory in a journey that has now lasted nearly a quarter of a century. PTI SGV APL