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A little joy

Ask any public transport commuter and high on their wishlist would be an empty bus or Metro train, especially during…

A little joy

(Photo: Getty Images)

Ask any public transport commuter and high on their wishlist would be an empty bus or Metro train, especially during rush hours. The normal scenario is a sea of passengers, who somehow try to board a bus or Metro train.

It’s a terrible crush and one emerges with clothes crumpled and hair in disarray. It’s worse in the evening as several people are beginning to stink of sweat and grime. The packed buses and Metro train compartments are made worse with this nauseating body odour.

Even a fairly empty train, where one can travel without being hemmed in on all sides, is welcome. But the joy of travelling in an empty Metro train during the peak hours is thus totally incomparable.

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A colleague was witness to such a joy last week, when a technical glitch on the Blue Line of the Delhi Metro led to trains getting delayed and a massive rush piled up on the stations along that line, particularly on the side headed for Noida. Subsequently, in a bid to clear the mad rush, people travelling to Dwarka were asked to deboard at Yamuna Bank and the train re-routed to Noida.

Seeing an empty train entering the station, the crowd waiting on the other side of the platform jumped in joy and started cheering and clapping. While this special arrangement was made to manage the crowd, that day, explained our colleague, the entry of the Metro train was no less than that of a movie star. The super thrilled people quickly dived into the train, lending a punch line to the comical scene.

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