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Regular commuters finding it tough in the metro trains in Chennai, choose other modes of transport
Posted on: 03/May/2021 9:47:51 AM
In the city of Chennai, the footfalls in the metro trains have increased is well known. Many people are seen travelling together in these metro trains. This has led to an issue now for the regular commuters of these metro trains. Truth is that these regular commuters are now shifting to various other modes of transport to reach their destinations in this Coronavirus infection pandemic.
More people have started using metro trains in Chennai from February onwards when the north Chennai metro line was inaugurated. In the crowded compartments inside the metro trains there is no social distancing at all and this has made the regular commuters to worry.
It has been brought to light that the latest footfalls in the metro trains have neared 80% of pre-Covid tally average of 1.16lakhs. It is known that CMRL has been collecting fines from the commuters for not wearing facemasks in the stations and trains from 11th April onwards. Point is that the social distancing norms are not being enforced strictly in the metro trains.
In the stretch between Wimco Nagar and the airport, the crowd inside the metro trains has become huge in the peak hours of time. This has made many regular commuters shift to other transport modes like cab etc. This was pointed out by a regular commuter who travels from her residence in Thirumangalam to her office at LIC. She also revealed that no social distance has been maintained at the metro stations also.
The shocking piece of information is that as many as 8 persons squeeze in the seat that is meant for six persons only. Some regular commuters have expressed their thoughts and they want CMRL to manage the crowd or introduce special coaches for the sake of those who could spend twice the price of the ticket rate.
It must be remembered that a few months back CMRL made many heads turn when it converted first class coaches to women-only coaches to help commuters with sufficient space for social distancing.
It must be noted that the footfalls in the metro trains began to increase slowly from 7th September onwards, the day when metro train services were resumed in Chennai after the lockdown. The slashing of ticket prices has led to increased patronage from February is known. Information gathered is that currently CMRL operates metro trains at a frequency of every 5 minutes during the peak hours of time for the commuters.
