Delhi Metro
If you travel by Delhi Metro, you may also hear advertisements amid station announcements in the coming days. Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) is preparing to launch audio advertisements inside trains to increase its non-ticket (non-fare) income. In the initial phase, this facility will be started in selected trains of Red, Yellow, Blue and Magenta Line.
DMRC says that the objective of this initiative is not only to increase earnings, but also to develop Delhi Metro as a premium advertising platform like the world’s largest metro networks and airports.
Tender issued, proposals sought from agencies
DMRC has issued a tender to implement this scheme. Under this, the agencies will have to manage, market and operate audio advertisement slots in six trains each of Red (Line-1), Yellow (Line-2), Blue (Line-3) and Magenta (Line-8). The agency will collect ads from advertisers, run them at scheduled times and manage the entire campaign.
How much advertising time will be available on which line?
According to DMRC, different timings will be available for advertising on different metro lines. The highest audio inventory of 721 seconds will be on the Red Line (Dilshad Garden-Rithala). After this, 634 seconds will be available on Blue Line (Dwarka-Yamuna Bank), 596 seconds on Yellow Line (Kashmiri Gate-Sultanpur) and 300 seconds on Magenta Line (Janakpuri West-Botanical Garden).
Passengers’ convenience will not be compromised
DMRC has clarified that advertisements will be run only in the free time between station announcements. Travel related information and safety related messages will always be given first priority. Apart from this, sufficient gap will be kept between the advertisements so that the passengers do not face any kind of problem. The sound, volume and number of advertisements will also be controlled as per the prescribed standards.
Trial has already been done on Violet Line
Delhi Metro started audio advertisements for the first time in December 2023 in six trains of the Violet Line running between Kashmiri Gate and Badarpur. Now preparations are being made to extend this model to the busiest metro lines of the capital.
Income sharing and space for CSR too
According to the plan, 85 percent of the total revenue from advertisements will go to DMRC, while 15 percent will remain with the licensed agency. Apart from this, 5 percent of the total advertising time in each train will be reserved for messages related to social welfare and Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR). DMRC itself will bear the expenses of these public interest messages.
DMRC says that the convenience of passengers traveling in the metro will be its top priority. Therefore, under no circumstances will important announcements or security messages be interrupted.
