HYDERABAD: At Malakpet railway station, I check the time and I am in a state of shock. I have travelled all the way from Hitec city railway station to Malakpet in just one hour! I have to thank the MMTS for that. Had it been a road journey, I would have easily taken more than two hours and ended up with back pain too.
On a late Saturday afternoon, I decided to abandon my regular mode of transport (auto) and take the MMTS instead. As I arrive at the station, I find the rain-soaked Hitec city railway station warm and filled with a variety of travellers. The blue MMTS train from Lingampally arrives and commuters board with their belongings.
There is a sigh of relief as the train chugs along and passengers joke how the terrible jams and pot-holes-filled road journey would have taken them to a hospital instead of their destinations. Ever since the heavy rains lashed city, MMTS has turned out to be a saviour for many like Narayana Rao, who works with CTS (Cognizant).
This is the first time that he has boarded the MMTS along with a relative. “There has been a death in one of our relative’s house in Saidabad. I will get down at Malakpet railway station and travel from there,” he states. The professional informs how the media reports and Facebook posts encouraged him to take MMTS. “Apparently it is taking 20 minutes to travel one kilometre; also reading about the manholes were scary. I didn’t want to take a chance with my two-wheeler.”
As the train stops at Borabanda, Sudha and her family board the train with their suitcases. The family of five (including two children) will get down at Secunderabad railway station to take the Godavari Express. “This train stops for just two minutes and it is a risk because there won’t be much time to catch the Godavari. But we have decided to take that risk instead of taking a cab and spending hours on road,” says the Wells Fargo employee.
She points out how punctuality and an increased frequency can help popularise MMTS like in Mumbai or Chennai. “MMTS has its share of woes. Sometimes it doesn’t arrive on time and there is a lot of uncertainty as it halts midway, waiting for the green signal,” she explains.
If the rains have brought new passengers to MMTS, there are regulars like RJ Jo, who has been travelling for the past few months.
“I live in Chandanagar and my office is in Begumpet and the 25-kilometre journey was very painful on my two wheeler. Ever since I shifted to MMTS, the journey has been super comfortable. What used to be a 90-minute journey is now just 40 minutes and I travel leisurely,” she states.
