New Delhi, Oct 18 : The Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has announced changes in train timings on the occasion of Diwali.

On Sunday, October 19, metro services on the Pink, Magenta and Grey Lines will begin an hour earlier than usual, starting at 6:00 AM instead of 7:00 AM, DMRC announced on X.

For Diwali day, Monday, October 20, the last metro trains from all terminal stations, including those on the Airport Express Line, will depart at 10:00 PM.

Services throughout the day will operate as per the regular timetable. DMRC shared the update via a post on Saturday, urging passengers to plan their journeys accordingly.

The special schedule aims to facilitate smoother travel for commuters during the festive celebrations.

Earlier in the day, the National Highways Authority of India's (NHAI) 'Rajmargyatra' app enabled the users to gift the FASTag annual pass, the government said on Saturday, urging citizens to consider this 'perfect gift for travellers' during the Diwali and festive season.

According to the governmenet, users can activate a pass by clicking the 'Add Pass' option on the application and then entering the recipient's vehicle number and the contact details of whom they want to gift the pass.

After simple OTP verification, the annual pass will be activated on the FASTag attached to that vehicle, allowing for seamless travel without the need for frequent recharges, an official statement said.

FASTag annual pass provides a seamless and economical travel option to the National Highway users and is applicable on about 1,150 toll plazas across India.

The annual pass costs Rs 3,000 and is valid for one year or up to 200 toll plaza crossings. The pass is applicable for all non-commercial vehicles with a valid FASTag.

The annual pass gets activated within two hours on the existing FASTag linked to the vehicle after payment of a one-time fee payment through the 'Rajmargyatra' App.

The statement from the Ministry of Road Transport and Highways said that the FASTag annual pass has gained over 25 lakh users and processed approximately 5.67 crore transactions within its first two months of launch.

/IANS