For thousands of families across Delhi, the hardest part of Chhath Puja's final morning is reaching the ghat before the Sun does. On Monday, the Delhi Metro is trying to make that easier.
The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) will start services at 4:30 am on November 16, ninety minutes earlier than its usual 6 am start, from all terminal stations across the network. An official said on Sunday that trains will run every 15 minutes on all lines until regular revenue services begin according to the day's scheduled timetable.
Usha Arghya is the closing ritual of the four-day Chhath festival. Devotees, many of them women who have kept a demanding fast, stand in water at riverbanks and ponds to offer arghya to the rising Sun. Because the offering has to happen at dawn, families often set out in the dark, carrying baskets of fruit, thekua and other offerings.
In a city as large as Delhi, where devotees come from far-off residential areas to the Yamuna ghats and artificial ponds, transport has always been a pressure point. Roads near major ghats get crowded in the early hours, and cabs and autos are hard to find before daybreak. An early Metro service gives families a predictable, affordable option during exactly those hours.
What the Chief Minister said
Delhi Chief Minister Rekha Gupta announced the extended timings on X. "Tomorrow, November 16, on the sacred occasion of Usha Arghya, Delhi Metro will begin running at 4:30 a.m. Trains will be available on all lines every 15 minutes during the early hours," she wrote.
She added, "Our (BJP) government has made this arrangement so that our mothers, sisters, elders and millions of devotees heading out to worship Chhathi Maiya face no difficulty reaching the ghats."
"We are paying close attention to every convenience, big and small. No Chhath devotee's worship should be disrupted, every family should reach the ghat on time and reverently offer arghya to the rising Sun god," she said.
Gupta also said she would offer prayers at Elephant Ghat near ITO. "Tomorrow, I will have the good fortune to offer arghya to the rising Sun God at Elephant Ghat alongside my sisters observing the Chhath fast," she posted.
In another post, she said, "This time, our (BJP) government has made even more beautiful and grand arrangements for the Chhath festival across Delhi than before, so that every family can worship Chhathi Maiya with complete devotion and joy. You are all cordially invited. Come, let us together receive Chhathi Maiya's blessings."
Why it matters
Chhath has grown into one of Delhi's biggest public festivals, driven by the city's large population with roots in Bihar, Jharkhand and eastern Uttar Pradesh. Over the years, festival-day arrangements such as ghat preparation, crowd management and transport have become a regular test for the city's administration.
Running the Metro early is a practical step. It eases the load on roads near the ghats on the busiest morning of the festival and gives elderly devotees and families with children a safer way to travel before sunrise. Devotees planning to use the service should check their nearest station's first-train timing, since services start from terminal stations at 4:30 am and intermediate stations will see their first trains a little later.
Quotes in this story are taken from posts shared on Chief Minister Rekha Gupta's official X account.
