NEW DELHI: A brief pause between Delhi Metro announcements could soon be followed by an advertisement, with the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) planning to introduce in-train audio commercials on the Red, Yellow, Blue and Magenta lines as part of efforts to increase its non-fare revenue. The move is aimed at strengthening the DMRC’s earnings from non-ticketing sources while positioning metro trains as a premium advertising platform, an official said according to news agency PTI. The initiative is also intended to place the Delhi Metro alongside major global transit systems and airports that use audio advertising as a revenue stream, the official added. To implement the plan, the DMRC has floated a tender inviting agencies to secure, market and manage in-train audio advertisement slots on six trains each operating on the Red (Line 1), Yellow (Line 2), Blue (Line 3) and Magenta (Line 8) corridors. Among the four routes, the Yellow Line — one of Delhi’s oldest and busiest corridors connecting Kashmere Gate and Sultanpur — offers 596 seconds of advertising inventory in both directions, making it one of the largest uninterrupted inventories after the cumulative inventory available on the Red Line, the official said. The Red Line, which connects Dilshad Garden and Rithala, has the highest overall advertising inventory at 721 seconds. It is followed by the Blue Line between Dwarka and Yamuna Bank with 634 seconds, while the Magenta Line connecting Janakpuri West and Botanical Garden has 300 seconds of available inventory. The official clarified that advertisements will be broadcast only during silent intervals between routine operational announcements, with passenger information and safety messages continuing to receive top priority. The plan also mandates adequate gaps between advertisements to ensure commuter convenience. According to the official, the system is based on international practices adopted by major metro networks, where commercial announcements are integrated without interfering with essential travel information. The quality, volume and frequency of advertisements will also be regulated. The DMRC first introduced in-train audio advertisements on six trains running on the Violet Line between Kashmere Gate and Badarpur in December 2023. The proposed expansion suggests that the corporation now plans to extend the model to some of its busiest corridors. Under the proposed arrangement, the selected agency will be responsible for marketing the available inventory, scheduling advertisements between stations, coordinating technical execution with the DMRC and maintaining financial records related to the campaign. The official said the agency will collect advertising revenue from clients before transferring the DMRC’s share. The metro corporation will receive 85 per cent of the gross revenue generated through the advertisements, while the remaining share will be retained by the licensee. The agreement also reserves up to 5 per cent of the total advertising inventory in each train for social and corporate social responsibility messages. The cost of airing such public-interest campaigns will be borne by the DMRC, the official said. He added that agencies have been asked to develop innovative advertising opportunities inside metro trains while ensuring that campaigns complement Delhi’s image and reflect its heritage and cultural identity. The DMRC has maintained that commuter convenience will remain paramount and that service announcements will always take precedence over commercial messages. Advertisements will be played only during gaps between operational announcements, ensuring that passenger information remains uninterrupted, the official added.(With Agency Inputs)
