CMRL: Footfall surge calls for better crowd management and rules for passengers

CHENNAI: The ridership of Chennai metro rail has been growing at a rapid fast, especially post COVID-19 pandemic.

However, with increase in footfall, the crowd management and passengers adhering to proper procedures while boarding and deboarding the train has mostly gone haywire at station platforms.

In July, the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) recorded an overall passenger ridership of 82.53 lakh and the ridership for June was at 74.06 lakh, witnessing a spike of 7.93 lakh in just one month.

Due to many factors such as connectivity, easy commute and safety, the metro rail has been gaining popularity among Chennaites, with many enthusiastically anticipating for phase 2 service to commence in a few years.

However, with a steady increase in footfall, what is awaiting to become a challenge for CMRL, is the crowd management and quick and easy ways to allow passengers to board and deboard, which currently is a challenge, especially during peak hours.

Incidentally, many passengers that DT NEXT spoke to allege that public/passengers should be made to follow strict rules of entering the train and allowing the passengers to deboard.

"There are already police personnel and CMRL staff guiding the passengers. However, crowd management, especially during peak hours and insisting the passengers to patiently wait for their turn to board the train is still a challenge, "said a staff member at one of the metro stations.

Meanwhile a passenger at Alandur metro station pointed out, "During peak hours, it is quite a challenge to board the train. And, at other times too, most passengers do not follow any rules and would barge into the train. Hence, better crowd management and need for strict regulations for boarding and deboarding the train is definitely a need of the hour."