Trains to run on time gaps, says Hyderabad Metro Rail officer
There has also been a demand from people that monthly passes be issued but the system works on smart cards, he said.
Hyderabad: Metro Rail will not have timetables as the trains are based on time gaps, a senior officer of the L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Limited said on Saturday.
This was in reply to a query by a DC reader Pramod Baberwal who wanted an app to announce the Metro Rail timetable and marking out the lean hours. This would help joy riders, he said. He also complained about the lack of parking space.
There has also been a demand from people that monthly passes be issued but the system works on smart cards, he said.
On parking space, a contentious issue, Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited managing director N.V.S. Reddy said, “Seeing the huge demand we have decided to make space for parking of 200 two-wheelers.
“But the main reason Metro Rail is to get a person to use public transport and come to the station. For that, we are trying to deploy RTC buses and electric vehicles.”
Trains every 10 mins on opened routes
The frequency of the Metro train is being revised to one train per 10 minutes on both the routes — Ameerpet to Nagole and Ameerpet to Miyapur.
This has been decided because of the huge number of people who are using the new mode of transport. From the time the Metro Rail service started less than a week back, about 1 lakh commuters are availing the service daily. Earlier, the Ameerpet to Nagole route had a train every 15 minutes and Ameerpet to Miyapur had a train every eight minutes but after the initial few days, a decision has been made to change the frequency to one train every 10 minutes.
According to sources in the L&TMRHL, a review will be taken after one week of commercial operations to see whether this frequency must be maintained or more coaches should be added due to the increasing crowd. A senior officer of L&TMRHL explained, “The huge response from train travelers has surprised us. Many people who live in the outskirts of the city are opting for the nearest station and trying out even the smallest route to get the Metro experience. Due to this reason, we are seeing a lot of crowd at Nagole, Ameerpet, Miyapur and Parade Grounds. These stations are seeing major footfalls as accessibility to even those who are in the periphery is high.”
Mr Shivanand Nimbargi, managing director and chief executive officer of L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Limited, explained, “We are expecting people from other cities close to Hyderabad to come and experience the Metro Rail here. A large influx from the adjoining states of Maharashtra, AP and Karnataka is expected. Apart from this, tourists who come to Hyderabad will also keep the Metro Rail on their list of places to see.”
The L&TMRHL is collecting data of passengers and co-relating it to understand the profile of the passengers and also to calculate the peak hour time. In the present cycle, the trains are full from 11 am till 10 pm. Everyday more than 5,000 smart cards are being sold and more than 50,000 tokens are being used.
A senior officer said, “Smart cards are an indication that the traveller will use the Metro as a regular mode of transport.”