26,000 passengers ride Metro on day one

It is about 20% of pre-COVID levels

Chennai Metro Rail is levying a fine of ₹200 on passengers not wearing masks. File

On the first day of the resumption of services, Chennai Metro Rail catered to nearly 26,000 passengers on Monday. This is about 20% of pre-COVID-19 levels.

According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), about 25,000-30,000 passengers may ride the Metro for the first few days after resumption of services. “This has been along expected lines. People going to north Chennai, Chennai airport, CMBT and Chennai Central largely decided to take the trains on the first day. The other terminal stations like Alandur, Thirumangalam and Wimco Nagar saw a reasonable number of passengers,” an official said.

‘Still many curbs’

“We still have a lot of restrictions in place. So, until we see a lot of relaxations, like the reopening of malls, beaches or places of worship, we may not have any significant improvement,” the official added.

Chennai Metro Rail is levying a fine of ₹200 on passengers not wearing masks.

It has also deployed a team of staff to check if physical distance is being maintained.