The metro rail system entered India in the year 1984 in Kolkata with the Metropolitan Transport Project working closely with Soviet Union and East German engineers. Thirty four years down the line, India today has the metro rail system operating in 10 cities of the world – Kolkata, Delhi, Bengaluru, Gurgaon, Mumbai, Chennai, Jaipur, Kochi, Hyderabad and Lucknow. Delhi metro covers the longest distance in the country serving 160 stations and covering a distance of 231 kilometers. It is expected to grow further with work on other stretches ongoing.
If you are a regular traveler by metro then you need to keep getting your metro recharge done on a regular basis. Since there is no time limit associated with this card, when compared with the mobile recharge plans for example, you can use the top-up amount as per your convenience. Recharging the smart card is done through web either using the metro service providers’ website or a recharge reseller site or App.
However one needs to exercise caution while carrying out the metro recharge of their smart card:-
- The card ID that is engraved on the smart card needs to be entered carefully on the site or the App. Any wrong entry of numbers can result in the recharge of another card belonging to another commuter.
- Once the metro recharge has been done online, the passenger needs to go to the nearest AVM to have the balance topped-up on his card. This needs to be done after 2 hours from recharging the card. Also if the person does not visit the AVM within 10 days of online recharge, then he gets a refund of the money after statutory deductions by the service provider.
- If you lose your smart card after a metro recharge and without presenting it to the Auto Value machine, then you need to report the same at the customer care centers at the metro stations. The top-up amount is refunded back by the service provider after the statutory deductions.
- The best way to ensure that the metro recharge of your smart card is successful and even in case of theft or loss of the card, the balance remains with you – you need to register with the service provider on his online portal. One can enter as many smart cards as possible in a single account. If you do not however wish to register yourself or your metro card, you can still recharge it online. A registered member has the advantage of tracking his transactions and also gets the balance refunded in case of loss of card.
There are a couple of other Indian Tier II cities that are supposed to be joining the metro vagabond soon. They are Pune, Ahmedabad and Gandhinagar, Noida, Nagpur and Navi Mumbai are the lucky cities chosen by the Ministry of Union Urban Development. The criterion for getting this modern comfortable public transportation is to have more than 20 lakh people residing in the city.
