Some of the Chennai Metro Rail’s systems have begun to develop glitches.
Commuters have been complaining about ticket vending machines, used for buying tokens and recharging travel cards, and the passenger information display system not functioning properly at some stations, sources said.
Chennai Metro Rail, built at a cost ₹14,600 crore, began its services only three years ago, but at stations like Alandur, Vadapalani, Thirumangalam and St. Thomas Mount, there have been quite a few instances of the two systems developing snags and becoming non-functional in the last few months, sources added.
But Chennai Metro Rail Limited officials say these were “one-off instances” and the problems were rectified as soon as they were identified.
Soiled currency notes
“If a passenger or staff inserts soiled currency notes in the machine, there are chances it can get jammed and then we have to physically remove the notes. Sometimes, dust gets accumulated in machines in the elevated stations, owing to which problems can occur.
Also if notes are piled up, then they could get stuck. But we always repair the machine in case of a fault within a day or two,” an official said.
On complaints about the passenger information display system, officials said they had noticed a few issues. “There were a few isolated cases [and the machines] are now upgraded and have been performing [well],” another official said.
“We have seen how these devices work across the world; if dust and soiled notes are causing problems, we should be concerned,” a source said.
