COVID fear etc forcing the metro train commuters in Chennai for this important demand!!
Posted on: 14/Jan/2023 10:02:16 AM
Now, the metro trains in Chennai are full of passengers and in this scenario the passengers want CMRL to bring back first class coaches in these trains due to fear of Covid19 and comfortable travelling etc.
The bitter truth is that metro trains now in Chennai are full of passengers and there was no space also to maintain physical distance etc. The senior citizens or elderly commuters now want the CMRL to bring back first class coaches in the metro trains due to fear of Covid and for comfortable travelling etc.
It must be recalled that CMRl introduced first class coaches with ticket fare double the regular prices. Just a year back, the coach was converted into a women only coach. After Coronavirus was brought under control, the patronage in the metro trains touched 2lakhs per day and sometimes even 2.5lakhs per day too. Point to be noted is that in 2019 the average footfall was 11lakhs and it touched 1.4lakhs also per day sometimes.
It was explained by a regular metro train passenger that now there is a threat of a new variant of Covid19 infection and many do not wear face masks properly or not wear facemasks at all. She spoke about how the metro trains now from Wimco Nagar arrive with full of people at Central metro station. She concluded that it is high time CMRL brought back the first class coach again for the safety of the commuters.
In 2021, after the Washermenpet to Wimco Nagar line was opened for the public, the footfalls in the metro trains began to increase and ticket rates were reduced to help the commuters. It is noteworthy that in 2022 6.09 crore commuters used metro trains in Chennai to reach their destinations between June to December.
The estimated footfall of 7.75 lakhs was not reached but the officers belonging to CMRL were hoping that the footfall would become more once the last mile connectivity gets better at the metro stations. There are many commuters who have started to reach the metro station an hour early to avoid heavy crowds in the peak hours.
