Joy rides and novelty factor drew citizens to the Metro on Thursday on the second day of its commercial operations.
The rail cars were packed throughout the day as commuters checked out the features and utility factor of the newest transport mode in the city.
“I live in Khairatabad and work in Patancheru. It takes over one hour by bus. I am travelling on Metro for the first time. If it is feasible and saves me time, I am planning to switch to this,” said Rohit, a first-time commuter, who works in a pharmaceutical company.
Crowd control
More ushers were drafted in by Metro officials to regulate and control the crowds jostling for a train ride.
While, it was a glitch-free operation on day two, purchase of tokens and smart cards remained the biggest hassle with Metro staff struggling to cater to the needs of first-time travellers.
An elderly lady from Miryalguda broke down after waiting anxiously for her grandchildren who rode the lift to a lower-level at Ameerpet Interchange instead of going to the higher level to catch a train to KPHB Colony.
Road traffic
“We came today and are travelling for the first time. My mother panicked after the lift’s doors closed and disappeared down,” said Bhaskar, who was travelling with his family from his native place at Miryalguda, after a marriage function.
Surprisingly, there were fewer vehicles on the road. “Oh! It is not due to Metro. We have a long weekend with a holiday for Milad un Nabi. Traffic has been thin for the last two days due to that,” said a police official regulating traffic at Begumpet junction.
