About two lakh thronged the Chennai Metro Rail on the first weekend after the opening of two underground stretches.
Sources said the reason for an increase in the number of persons taking Metro Rail was the offer of free rides for three days. “The decision was taken because authorities felt commuters should be allowed to see the newly opened stations. This will certainly motivate people to switch over from other modes of transport to Metro Rail,” an official said.
The stretches from Nehru Park to Chennai Central and Saidapet to AG-DMS were inaugurated on Friday.
The 2.7-km Nehru Park to Chennai Central stretch has three stations — Nehru Park, Chennai Egmore and Chennai Central — and the 4- km-long Saidapet to AG-DMS has four stations — Saidapet, Nandanam, Teynampet and AG-DMS.
While the minimum fare is ₹10, the maximum has been increased to ₹70 with the launch of these two stretches.
Passengers say people would continue travelling by Metro Rail if the fares are reduced.
‘Very expensive’
S. Vidya, a resident of Saidapet, who took a joyride said, “Once in a while it wouldn’t matter to pay, but can someone afford to pay ₹70 every day? Even if four people want to take a joyride, it will work out to be very expensive and only the rich can pay.”
Another commuter Chandrasekar V, a resident of Egmore, said, “We have been put through so much of inconvenience for years for the construction work of Metro. Now that they’ve priced it so high, most people may not even use this system. Thousands will benefit if they reduce the fares,” he added.
