New Delhi: As the capital city is shrouded in a thick blanket of pollution, the Delhi Metro has announced that it will increase the number of trains on its network.

"Keeping in view the worsening air quality in Delhi/NCR, the Delhi Metro has introduced 21 additional number of trains on its network with effect from October 31 which will provide 812 additional trips,” said  Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) executive director, corporate communications, Anuj Dayal.

On October 31, Union minister Hardeep Singh Puri and Delhi deputy chief minister Manish Sisodia flagged off the Delhi Metro’s Pink Line from Shiv Vihar to Trilokpuri Sanjay Lake.

With the opening of this corridor, the Delhi Metro now has an operational length of over 300 km, and has joined the league of top metro networks of the world like those in London, Beijing, Shanghai and New York.

The DMRC will be running 4,749 trips in a day now. Earlier, the Delhi Metro used to operate around 4,000 trips per day.

The Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority (EPCA) has urged Delhiites to use public transport for the first 10 days of November when the air quality of the national capital is likely to further deteriorate.

Noting that private vehicles contribute to 40% pollution in Delhi-NCR, the EPCA urged people to reduce the use of private vehicles during this period and use public transport or other means.

Delhi's air quality has been recording alarming trends in the last two weeks. The pollution level nosedived to severe level on Tuesday, prompting authorities to intensify measures to reduce pollution.

An EPCA member on Tuesday said in case of further deterioration of air quality, they are even contemplating regulating the use of private vehicles from November 1.

With PTI inputs