In Photos: Delhi Metro – 20 Years of Being a 'Lifeline' for Women

Over the past 20 years, Delhi's extensive Metro network has made it easier for women to travel throughout the city.

A separate coach, CCTV cameras, and reserved seating are some of the safety features that have made this means of transportation immensely safe for women.

(Photo: Verda Subzwari/The Quint)

From its subtle beginnings in December 2002 with a corridor of only 8.2 km, spanning six stations on the Red Line, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, today, operates 391 km of the network on 12 corridors with 286 stations across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). But in the last 20 years of its existence, this mode of public transport has been a lifeline, particularly for girls and women in Delhi, a city that's notorious for being unsafe.  

The Quint spoke to women who regularly travel by the Delhi Metro, and most of them say they travel less anxiously and more comfortably in the designated coach for women.

"I commute from Faridabad to Karol Bagh to go to college. I think I would have opted out of my college if it wasn't for the metro. I cannot imagine using a cab or an auto till Karol Bagh. It's extremely crowded and very far from my house," says Simran Jeet of Sri Guru Nanak Dev Khalsa College.

Rani Mukherji travels from Ballabgadh to Noida every day at around 8 am to visit her ailing mother. She says, "Because of the metro, I can stay with my mother till 11 pm and I don't have to rush before it gets dark."

Mohsina, 20, travels to Jama Masjid in Old Delhi for work every day, from Okhla, New Delhi. "I wouldn't be working if the metro didn't exist. It's very secure and guarded," Mohsina says.

"I work in Lajpat Nagar, and I find the Ashram area unsafe and traffic-prone as well. Metro helps me tackle this," says Tanya, who lives in Delhi's Sarita Vihar area.

"When there was no metro till Faridabad (Sarai Delhi Metro Station), I used to take an autorickshaw till Badarpur Metro Station from my house, only because it is the safest and the most reliable option. Simply put, the metro is a lifeline for us," says Bhawna Chatterji, a fine arts professor at a school in Lajpat Nagar.

"Delhi is not just unsafe during the night, but also early mornings. I come to Jasola every day from Ballabgarh for my chartered accountant training, and the metro is convenient for me in every way," says Pooja.

"My daughter and I are both regular users of metro. I don't allow my daughter to travel by any other mode of transport. I don't trust buses and cabs in this city," says Rita from Jasola.

Constant presence of women officials – the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) staff – is also a major reason why women feel safer in the metro.

Kajal, Priya, and Divya are medical students who travel early morning from Faridabad to Jasola. They use the metro religiously because they feel that Delhi is unsafe for women at any given hour of the day.

"I travel by metro every day because I leave my office late on a regular basis. What I really find helpful is that even after 11:30 pm, the staff on the station will help us regarding the route or any other confusion," says Pooja Singh.

A mother taking her daughter home by metro after picking her up from school. 

"Metro is the safest option for me since I am a working woman and I live in Kailash Colony. It becomes very deserted after 9 pm, especially during winters," says Lovely Kumari.

Kavleen's college is in Sector 28 of Noida. She travels by metro only because she often reaches home by 9-10 pm. Her parents only allow her to come home late because they consider the metro to be safe.

From its subtle beginnings in December 2002 with a corridor of only 8.2 km, spanning six stations on the Red Line, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation, today, operates 391 km of the network on 12 corridors with 286 stations across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR). 

But in the last 20 years of its existence, this mode of public transport has particularly been a lifeline for girls and women in Delhi, a city that's notorious for being unsafe. The Quint brings you the voices of some of these women.