Hyderabad citizens have once again started patronising metro rail in great numbers, so much so that footfalls are gradually nearing pre-COVID-19 days. These days, around three lakh passengers are using the metro on a daily basis. Before the pandemic wreaked havoc, the trains were being used by nearly 4 lakh passengers on a daily basis. While the increase in footfall is great news for the Hyderabad Metro Rail, it has brought along with it the demand by passengers to increase the frequency of the metro service to manage the crowd better.
Ever since offices have started calling back employees, the footfall in the Hyderabad Metro Rail has substantially gone up leading to a demand for increasing the frequency of trains. Speaking to TNM, a spokesperson from L&T Metro Rail Hyderabad Limited “With the outbreak of COVID-19, metro services were suspended for 169 days from March 22 till September 6, 2020. After the unlock, the metro resumed its services from September 7, 2020 in phases with all COVID-19 safety protocols. We have continued to serve the city with truncated operations even during the second and third waves of COVID, including the state-wide night curfews and lock-downs.”
As more and more offices have begun to recall their employees to work in the office, passenger ridership has been very high during office hours. “Currently, Hyderabad Metro Rail is recovering steadily and in the last few months, we are witnessing about 3 lakh passengers daily. The passenger ridership is high during office hours both in the morning and evening,” added the spokesperson.
According to L&T officials, crowding during peak office hours is common across almost all mass transit systems globally. To address this issue, based on real-time analytics L&T has started short loop trains which provide services at a faster frequency at high crowd interchange stations. During the usual peak hours, a frequency of 4 minutes 30 seconds is maintained and during the non-peak hour frequency is kept at 7 minutes.
Interestingly, officials reveal that if the daily average occupancy is considered the footfall, it is still less than 50% of the capacity of the trains. “We have also increased the maximum operating speed of trains from 70 kmph to 80 kmph, which has resulted in saving significant time between corridor terminals,” shared the L&T spokesperson.
In the backdrop of increased footfall, several citizens in Hyderabad have been taking to Twitter to voice concerns about how overcrowded the Hyderabad metro is especially in peak hours. Srinivas, a metro commuter, uses the facility to travel to different parts of the city especially during weekdays. Speaking to TNM he said, “The morning hours on the red line and the blue line are overcrowded. Ameerpet is a nightmare. It gives me a cattle class feeling whenever I board the metro from Ameerpet to Hitech City. Around a year ago, the Hyderabad Metro MD had mentioned about increasing coaches, however, it seems like he isn’t too keen about it now.”
Navya Sree, an employee in an IT company is a regular patron of the Hyderabad Metro. She travels from Parade Grounds to Raidurg on a daily basis. “The crowd starts from around 8 am and continues to soar until around 10 am. In the evening again, from around 5:30 pm to until 9 pm, it is very crowded. In the peak hours, there is one train every 3-4 minutes but this is also clearly not enough. Now that everyone is getting back to office it is imperative that the officials look into this problem and find a solution.”
“It will be ideal to have a system in place wherein more than a fixed number people shouldn’t be allowed into the metro train. If this can be ensured it will save passengers from getting elbowed and kicked by the crowd on board. More discipline among commuters would also really help,” added Navya.
Jam-packed crowd at station/inside coaches. People can't even enter the train. Even if they miss this train, the next one too remains crowded. @arvindkumar_ias pic.twitter.com/IPGgbFNM8r
— Krishnamurthy (@krishna0302) May 18, 2022
Sharing a video of the Hyderabad metro, Srikanth took to Twitter to convey that there is a need for more coaches.
Took the @ltmhyd #HyderabadMetro 2 work 2day, the ride was fine but there is a need for more coaches to be added to cater to increasing users, also first n last mile connectivity (took auto as buses were jam packed).. @sselvan #HyderabadMobility pic.twitter.com/zqd2EjwXPi
— Srikanth - #ExplorebyRoad (@ExplorebyRoad) June 13, 2022
Speaking to TNM, NVS Reddy, Managing Director of the Hyderabad Metro Rail said, “With the increase in ridership, we are continuously reviewing the train occupancy and our train operation plan and increasing the frequency as much as possible. The frequency of trains on Corridor 1 has now been increased to 4 minutes and 10 seconds and on Corridor 3, extra trips between Ameerpet and Raidurg are being run to reduce crowding. There are limitations on L&T’s resources right now.” When asked whether the limitations mentioned were in regards to manpower or the availability of train cabins or the finances to procure more cabins, the question went unanswered.