New Delhi, Jan 8 When Anil Marwah walked into the Anand Vihar Metro station on Thursday morning and got the first Metro smart card, it was his 13th — one for each of the routes in the Delhi Metro network that has been inaugurated since 2002.

Calling it a "passion", Marwah said that he aims to collect the first smart card on every new route that the Metro flags off until 2012 — so that he has a unique collection of cards spanning over 10 years of the Metro.

"It was an interest that became a passion. I wanted to take the first metro ride and probably buy the first token when it started on December 25, 2002. However when my son and I reached the Shahadra Metro station that morning, there was a long queue," Marwah said.

"Since people were not too aware about smart cards, so I went and bought the first card. That's when I thought that it would be interesting if I could buy the first smart card for every route that the Metro starts," he said.

True to his words since that day on, Marwah has been the first to buy the smart card for every route or extension that the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) has inaugurated and added to its network — including the Yamuna Bank-Anand Vihar line which opened to the public on Thursday.

"It was an interest that became a passion. My aim is not to get into the limelight, but to be part of DMRC history because the Delhi metro can't start again and therefore no one can break my record. It's unique," the 49-year-old said.

So passionate is he in fact that he ensures that he has no engagement the day prior to the inauguration of any Metro line and that he is in the city on the day of inauguration.

"I was a little worried last night about making it to the station on time since it was so foggy so I left home with my son at 4.45 a.m. and reached the Anand Vihar station at 5.20 a.m. The window opened at 5.45 a.m. so I was the first to buy the smart card and my son was the first to buy the token," he said.

Marwah works in the administration department of the Japan Airlines office here.

Delhi Metro, which began services on a small scale in December 2002, now ferries nearly 900,000 commuters a day. With the new line, it now runs over a network of 96 km and has 83 stations.