'Grand' IAF air show but Chennai roads gridlocked, rails largely vacant
The Chennai Metro Rail, which has gone ‘above and beyond’ to meet the demand during IPL and international cricket matches, had no announcement to make. Radio silence.
(L-R) People waiting in huge numbers in Velachery railway station (X/@karthi9003), Mirage 2000 during the air show rehearsal (Hemanathan)
CHENNAI: All roads to Marina beach were gridlocked on Sunday, as thousands of people streamed to the venue of the air show that the Indian Air Force organised as part of its 92nd Raising Day.
However, much to the disappointment of the people, the railways and Chennai Metro Rail Limited pretended to be oblivious to the much-anticipated event, and decided to stick to the “Sunday pattern” – termed thus because of the low volume of footfall on Sundays and public holidays.
Let’s first look at the context: On offer is a one of its kind event involving majestic aircraft. An event that captured the fancy of the masses, who thronged the beach to catch a glimpse of the rehearsal itself. As per Air Force’s expectation, the attendance could be as high as 15 lakh.
Anticipating the challenge awaiting them on the D Day, the Greater Chennai City Police had issued a traffic advisory well in advance advising those intending to watch the air show to use public transport as much as possible and start early if using their own vehicles.
Even the Metropolitan Transport Corporation, that much-derided and ridiculed country cousin of the swanky Metro Rail and Vande Bharat-owning Railways, fielded extra buses.
What did Southern Railway and CMRL do on this special occasion? Well, nothing special.
Not hiding his disappointment, Karthik, an X user, raised the question that was in the minds of thousands like him who were stuck at suburban railway stations: “Southern Railways you sloths! There are thousands of people waiting to get trains to Chintadripet and you're running trains half hour once? Goddamn you!!!! (sic)”
Oh, to be fair, Southern Railway did indeed do something: It issued an important advisory to the patrons. “To avoid long queues at railway stations due to the ongoing air show at Marina beach, kindly utilise UTS Mobile App, QR Code Booking for seamless travel experience (sic).”
The Chennai Metro Rail, which has gone ‘above and beyond’ to meet the demand during IPL and international cricket matches, had no announcement to make. Radio silence.
Here is from the thousands stuck at suburban and Metro Rail stations across the city, like Karthik: You ruined what could have been an experience of a lifetime.