India is gearing up to celebrate its 75th Republic Day with great enthusiasm and grandeur on Friday. The iconic parade will begin at Kartavya Path in Delhi at 10:30am and will display marches by several contingents of the Armed Forces, and tableaux from various states and central departments.

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Ahead of the celebrations, the Delhi Metro announced that services would commence at 4am on Friday and commuters could use metro train services to reach Kartavya Path to attend the Republic Day parade.

The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has also issued an advisory for commuters to avoid difficulties onboard during the celebrations.

Metro timings and station alighting details:

The Metro Corporation took to X to share details about operation timings and information abput designated stations for alighting based on the entry gates used by passengers to reach the event site.

“Delhi Metro will commence its services at 4:00 AM on all its Lines to facilitate the public to reach Kartavya Path to witness the Republic Day ceremony on 26th January 2024 (Friday). Train services will be available at a headway of 30 minutes till 6AM, and thereafter, a regular timetable will be followed for the rest of the day,” it said.

The Delhi Metro also informed that people holding bona fide e-invitation cards or e-tickets for attending the Republic Day ceremony will be issued coupons upon presenting a valid government-issued photo identity card at metro stations which would be valid for exit from the Central Secretariat and Udyog Bhawan Metro station to reach the Kartavya Path. A similar coupon will also be applicable for the return journey exclusively from these two stations.

The metro corporation mentioned that regular announcements will also be made inside the metros to inform the passengers so that they deboard at designated stations to reach their enclosures smoothly.

The Delhi Metro has provided guidelines for passengers alighting at stations based on their assigned enclosure numbers.

Passengers holding e-Invitation Cards/e-Tickets with enclosure numbers 1 to 9, VI & V2 are instructed to alight at Udyog Bhawan Metro Station. Likewise, individuals with enclosure numbers 10 to 24 and VN are recommended to exit at the Central Secretariat Metro Station.

The Delhi Metro on Thursday unveiled a train exclusively wrapped to celebrate the 75th Republic Day. The train was flagged off from the Mandi House Metro Station on the Violet Line by Minister of Law and Justice Arjun Ram Meghwal and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Managing Director Vikas Kumar. The minister signed on the decorated train and also interacted with specially-abled children who were a part of the event, it said.

In a post on X, the DMRC said, “A metro train specially wrapped to celebrate the 75th Republic Day was formally pressed into service today from Mandi House Metro station on the Violet Line in the presence of Arjun Ram Meghwal, Minister of Law and Justice, and DMRC MD Vikas Kumar.”

Delhi traffic advisory: Know routes and parking to avoid

Ahead of the celebrations, the national capital’s traffic police have issued a traffic advisory which includes the details on restrictions on various routes and suggested alternative routes along with parking arrangements for the general public.

According to the advisory, the Republic Day parade is scheduled to commence at 10:30 am from Vijay Chowk which would progress towards the Red Fort grounds. Simultaneously, a related event at the National War Memorial near India Gate is planned for 9:30 am.

“There will be extensive traffic arrangements and restrictions along the parade route. The parade will pass through Vijay Chowk, Kartavya Path, C-Hexagon, the Subhas Chandra Bose roundabout, Tilak Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, Netaji Subhas Marg and Red Fort,” the advisory said.

The police urged people to make the maximum use of public transport to reach Kartavya Path.

As per the advisory, traffic movement is prohibited on Kartavya Path from Vijay Chowk to India Gate, from 6 pm on January 25 until the parade concludes on January 26. No traffic is allowed on Kartavya Path at Rafi Marg, Janpath, Man Singh Road from 10 pm on January 25 until the parade ends.

The C-Hexagon-India Gate will be closed for traffic from 9:15 am on Friday until the parade crosses Tilak Marg. However, no vehicle movement is permitted on Tilak Marg, Bahadur Shah Zafar Marg, and Netaji Subhas Marg from 10:30 am on Friday.

Alternative routes:

According to the advisory, commuters can use the route from Madarsa, Lodhi Road T-point through Aurobindo Marg, AIIMS Chowk, Ring Road-Dhaula Kuan, Vande Matram Marg, and Shankar Road to reach Mandir Marg.

Additionally, the commuters travelling to New Delhi Railway Station from South Delhi can travel through Dhaula Kuan, Vande Matram Marg, Panchkuian Road, the Connaught Place Outer Circle, and Chelmsford Road for the Paharganj side and Minto Road and Bhavbhuti Marg for the Ajmeri Gate side of the station.

From East Delhi, commuters can take Boulevard Road through the ISBT Bridge, the Rani Jhansi flyover, DB Gupta Road, Sheela Cinema Road, and the Paharganj Bridge.

For those heading to Old Delhi Railway Station from South Delhi, the advisory recommends taking the Ring Road, Ashram Chowk, Sarai Kale Khan, Rajghat, Chowk Yamuna Bazar, SP Mukherjee Marg, Chhatta Rail, and the Kauria bridge.

Parking advisory:

The traffic police also mentioned about the parking restrictions and arrangements in the Kartavya Path region to avoid congestion and regulate traffic smoothly.

As per the advisory, parking spots 3 and 4 behind Vigyan Bhawan have a capacity of 300 vehicles. Once the capacity exceeds these spots, the visitors are required to park on Maulana Azad Road near Vigyan Bhawan and their vehicles will be accommodated at parking spots 1 and 2 (behind Nirman Bhawan and Udyog Bhawan), 2A (inside Nirman Bhawan and Udyog Bhawan), 5 (behind Zabta Masjid), 6 (Kota House Jam Nagar House and Jailsaimer House), 7 (Vanijya Bhawan).

However, the authorities have also urged the general public to make maximum use of public transport to reach the Kartavya Path on Republic Day.

(With inputs from agencies)