Chennai Metro Rail has introduced various feeder service connectivity to increase the footfall of Metro train service under the caption Metro Connect. Presently services such as MTC Minibus Services, Electric Auto, Rental Auto & Bike taxi aggregators, Rental Bicycle facilities, Free Buggy rides etc. are available in Metro Stations.
More Details:
- Providing a last mile connectivity facility to areas like IT parks and educational institutions has been undertaken with M/s DLF Cyber City to provide seamless connectivity to their clients and staff working in the DLF Cyber City IT park located at Porur. A Tri party collaboration has been arranged to provide exclusive feeder services to DLF Cyber (AC Tempo Traveller) to DLF Cyber City, IT park.
- The Managing Director of Chennai Metro Rail Limited Mr. M.A. Siddique, I.A.S. flagged off the exclusive service of AC tempo travellers on 6th February 2023, at DLF Cyber City, Porur in the presence of Thiru. Rajesh Chaturvedi, Director (System and Operations) along with Officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited.
- The Service consists of 4 no’s of 12 seater AC tempo travellers planned to operate between Arignar Anna Alandur and DLF Cyber City, Porur. The fare for the service is fixed at Rs.40/- per ride per passenger to travel from Arignar Anna Alandur Metro station to DLF Cyber City IT Park or vice versa.
- DLF Cybercity Chennai, will be the Client that provides the pickup and drop location inside their campus and provides the necessary financial support to the operator based on a GAP funding model as per agreement.
- The operation and maintenance of the service and vehicles will be the responsibility of the Operator M/s Fast track cabs. Ticket fare will be collected by the Operator on boarding the vehicle through QR code (UPI) and Mobile app.
- CMRL will be the coordinator who provides pick up and drop location, passenger guidance in Arignar Anna Alandur Metro station and coordinating the service between the Operator and the Client.
- Vehicles will be available with exclusive Metro connect branding for easy identification by commuters and the service will be operational between Morning 06:00 AM and 10:00 PM on Weekdays (Monday to Friday) based on the passenger demand.
- DLF Executive Director Amit Grover, Senior Vice President David Amalraj, Assistant Vice President Amit Singhal, Fast Track Director Ambikapati, along with senior officials of CMRL and Fast Track were present during the occasion.
During the event, Mr. M.A. Siddique, I.A.S, MD, CMRL said “The Chennai Metro Rail Project is being taken up simultaneously where we are constructing 119 kms in one shot. With an investment of Rs. 63,000 crores, nowhere in the world has such a big project been taken up at such a large scale. With the continuous support from Government of Tamil Nadu, the project is being implemented on a war footing basis. We expect the Elevated portion of the Corridors to be completed by May 2026.
Last mile connectivity is absolutely very important. It makes a lot of difference for passengers to use this service rather than using their own private vehicles. This is most needed in our Metro System. Last mile connectivity is connecting the place of work or place of shopping where the commuters wish to go and the first mile connectivity is the other end from home to the Metro Stations. So, we are working on both ends.
We are trying our best to ensure all other stakeholders participate with us to develop this last mile connectivity. There are several challenges in implementing the last mile connectivity challenge because an individual will not have his vehicle at that point. It has to be a shared transport system and a shared transport system like Fast Track etc. So it is up to the transport systems like OLA, Fast Track to join hands with CMRL and with the counterpart stakeholders like DLF Cyber City IT Park or even big shopping malls like Express Avenue or any other places.
I’m thankful that DLF Cyber City IT park has joined this initiative with us. And we expect the same support from other major companies also for such similar arrangements pertaining to last mile connectivity. DLF Cyber City IT park has now become a torchbearer to this venture and I am thankful to DLF for their support for launching this last mile connectivity to Alandur. This is the first major successful modal that has been implemented.
Earlier, prior to COVID a similar model was implemented and has now been reactivated just in a slightly different manner. I am sure that given the higher traffic intensity and even the higher average time taken to travel nowadays is more because of general increase in the traffic in any other mode of transport. I am hopeful that the number of people using this service will be very high.”
Source: Chennai Metro- Press Release | Images Credit: CMRL
