North Chennai Metro gets good patronage day after opening

A day after the launch of the North Chennai Metro line, many people took the ride on Monday, the first working day after launch. There was a sense of palpable satisfaction as it was a hassle-free commute for most of them.

Even though several commuters said the fare was high, they were ready to experience a traffic-less, pollution-free ride.

R Shanmughasundaram, a resident of Jyothi Nagar near Tiruvottiyur and employed in a private company, said he would take a shared auto to reach the bus terminus and then an EMU train from the beach station to reach his office in Guindy.

“This has been my routine for the past 15 years. Now the metro rail provides direct connectivity to Guindy without switching between bus and train. I just want to see how it is. I have already bought the monthly bus pass and hence would think of switching to Metro from next month,” Shanmughasundaram said.

Usha Rani, a resident of Ernavoor, said the two-wheeler parking at the Wimco Nagar station was small and it got full when she reached the station at 9.30 am.

“The Metro officials should provide better parking space at Wimco Nagar as people living in Ennore and Ernavoor could park their motorcycle and use the Metro for their daily commute,” she said, adding that they could also provide lastmile connectivity like shared auto or taxi.

Leo Joseph, a corporation school teacher at Tondiarpet, said many people would use the Metro if the fare was reduced considering the heavy traffic snarls witnessed during the peak hours.

A CMRL official said they are providing a 20 per cent discount on ticket fares for those using QR codes for its purchase. “On Sunday, 1.4 lakh people used the metro service across the city as it offered free ride between 2 and 11 pm, ” the official said.