Soon, coaches of Chennai Metro trains will get digital route maps that will show commuters the areas they pass through, the landmarks in that area and the speed at which the train is running.
At present, the coaches have LED-type route maps where a small light flickers against a station name when a train approaches and reaches it.
But this route map will be replaced with a TV screen; so, for instance, if a passenger travels from Koyambedu to Vadapalani, the screen will display the name of the station and the landmarks around it, the speed of the train and will also feature newsfeed.
This will be implemented for all 42 trains in the phase I project covering 45 km of the city and the 10 trains that have been ordered for the phase I extension project running for 9 km in north Chennai.
Both phase I and phase I extension trains are manufactured by the French firm Alstom.
According to Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) officials, this will be implemented in a couple of months. “There was a need to bring in this new system because the maps in the existing trains have only stations in the phase I project.
“After a year, when the phase I extension project becomes operational, the trains have to cover those areas too and hence it can’t be done with this map.
“So, we decided to go in for interactive maps for all 52 trains for both projects,” an official said.
“There will be space for advertisements and through that, we hope to raise a good amount of money,” another official said. This will bring in a lot of revenue for CMRL as well, he added.
At present, there are 25 trains running on the 35 km network that is operational so far.
