In an official statement released on Wednesday, the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced revised service timings for Diwali on Sunday, November 12. 

The DMRC, through its X handle (earlier Twitter), conveyed that metro services will close an hour earlier on Diwali, with the last train service commencing at 10:00 PM instead of the regular 11:00 PM schedule.

Notably, the morning service timings will remain unaltered, with services commencing at 6:00 AM on all metro lines, except for the Airport Express line, which will start at 4:45 AM.

“On account of the Diwali festival, the last Metro train service on 12th November 2023 (Sunday) will start at 10:00 PM from terminal stations of all Lines including the Airport Express Line. Metro train services will commence from 06:00 AM onwards on ALL LINES/SECTIONS and from 4:45 AM on Airport Express Line on this Sunday (Diwali),” said Delhi Metro Rail Corporation in its notice on Wednesday.

The modified schedule of the Delhi metro for Diwali could potentially inconvenience late-night commuters.

In a separate development aimed at addressing the pressing issue of rising air pollution in the national capital region, the Delhi Metro has taken a proactive step by introducing an additional 20 train trips. This move complements the existing 40 extra trips that have been in operation on weekdays since October 25 as part of the GRAP-II stage.

The ultimate objective is to reduce the dependency on private vehicles and concurrently enhance the air quality in Delhi and its surrounding areas.