New Delhi, Apr 21 (PTI) Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Manohar Lal on Monday suggested “combinations of trains” on Delhi Metro lines to enable faster travel by skipping certain stations along a route.

Chairing a session on ‘Urban Transportation’ at the 17th Civil Services Day celebrations here, the minister said this system (also known as galloping train) can be implemented by upgrading the metro’s signalling infrastructure.

He said that rapid rail has a station after a distance of 8 kilometres while there is a station on metro lines after every one-and-a-half kilometres, adding that these train services are going to different areas.

Emphasising the importance of running different types of trains on a single line, Manohar Lal suggested operating a mix of trains that stop at alternate stations to meet the needs of various commuters.

For example, on a line with 50 stations, one train could stop at stations 1, 4, 7, 10, and 13; another could stop at 2, 5, 8, and 11; and a third could halt at stations 3, 6, and 9, he said, adding that staggered stopping pattern would reduce travel time.

He said that for someone who travels daily across 50 stations to and from the office, such a system would significantly reduce commute time.

He also urged officials to consider introducing cargo services during peak hours. Currently, the Delhi Metro facilitates cargo transport across the Delhi-NCR region only during non-peak hours.

The minister said there is a need to promote a ‘walk-to-work’ culture by reducing commuting distances and he would discuss the matter with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The minister said that lakhs of people travel to Delhi from neighbouring areas. PTI BUN BUN MNK MNK