‘Shoot at sight’ in the metro
Chennaiites share their excitement about the newly launched metro service by clicking selfies and posting pics online
By : gautam sunder
Update: 2015-06-30 00:11 GMT
It’s been a long time in the works, but judging by the hype across the city, the Chennai Metro Rail is an instant hit! Barely minutes after being flagged off by Tamil Nadu CM J Jayalalithaa (via video-conferencing, no less!), social media erupted with selfies, photos, video clips of travel and live-tweet updates by youngsters determined to be among the first commuters.
The metro rail system’s services currently include seven stations between Alandur and Koyambedu, with a promise to cover over 30 stations in the following years.
Definitely reason to cheer for train regulars, but what’s surprising is that other enthusiastic first-time passengers are eager to try the experience and support the project!
Says Siddharth Senthil Kumar, a student of Media Studies at Anna University, who waited in line patiently and beat the crowd on opening day to get his ticket, “I decided to celebrate the new metro by clicking a selfie! The government has truly taken tremendous effort in deploying this. Finally, the metro services have started and commuters are going to work late to experience the metro services. I do feel the base fee is a little expensive though, as I travelled from Ekkaduthangal to CMBT for 40 rupees — I hope the fare is reconsidered. But the security measures were impeccable and the traffic has come down after this as well — before, you couldn't move even a bit on the roads of Vadapalani during peak hours!” He adds, “I do request the commuters not to treat the metro as their local MTC or suburban train.”
Thirty five-year-old K. Sridhar who has been using the suburban train for the last couple of decades, says he even convinced his teenage son to accompany him for the first ride, “It was actually a lot of fun; the compartment was all decked up with garlands, flowers and so were the passengers! Fancy saris, veshtis, and the like. My son is addicted to Twitter and once he saw the memes circulating thanking the workers for their dedication to make the dream a reality, and the Chennai Super Kings handle post #whistlepodu for the ‘blue bro’ — he was in!”
Dancer and PR professional Ranjani Nagarajan is another one who takes the train everyday to work. “Irrespective of special trains like local fast and ladies special, it is difficult to board one during the peak hours 9 am to 10 am — all the compartments are fully packed! Several people, especially men who footboard, have faced fatal accidents. So I think the Metro Rail plan is not just another feather in cap; but also a game changer. Daily commute will become easier, especially for professionals who travel from the outskirts to city and vice versa.”
However, some of them are also aware of the last mile connectivity issue that pedestrians may face in reaching the stations. Architect and urban designer at UB Designs, Subeeshna Selvarajan explains,
“I’m obviously happy that the project is reducing the carbon footprint and making commute economical, but its feasibility when the pedestrians are using it, has to be worked upon more.”