Chennai Metro fares cut

Ticket fare for the Chennai Metro Rail has been slashed. The maximum fare has been reduced to Rs 50 from Rs 70. The minimum fare will remain at Rs 10, said an announcement by Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami.

The ticket that was priced Rs 50 has been reduced to Rs 40 and the Rs 40 ticket will now be Rs 30. The reduction in the fare has been done taking into consideration the feedback given by people. The revised fare will take effect on February 22, the announcement said.

The announcement comes after the launch of the Chennai Metro Rail Phase-I extension project completed at a cost of Rs 3,770 crore on February 14. The 9.05 km long extension will link North Chennai with the airport and Central Railway Station and has two underground and five elevated metro stations. The project is funded by the Centre, State Government and Japan International Cooperation Agency.

The entire Phase – I of CMRL project covers a total distance of 54 km with 21 Underground and 18 Elevated Metro Stations. The passengers from North Chennai can reach Chennai Airport within 60 minutes.

The Phase-I of Chennai Metro Rail Project has been designed to provide connectivity to long distance trains at Puratchi Thalaivar Dr MG Ramachandran Central and Egmore Railway Stations, Suburban trains and MRTS at Park and Park Town Stations, long distance buses at Chennai Mofussil Bus Terminus, Koyambedu and MTC buses at several locations.

In Phase-I Extension, the Elevated Metro Stations of Tollgate and Thiruvottriyur have been integrated with the existing MTC Bus Terminuses, with provision for parking and footpaths for hassle-free travel. These measures will reduce carbon dioxide emissions.

The CMRL expects around 2 lakh people are expected to commute every day by Chennai Metro in this stretch. Now, nearly 90,000 use the metro.

Meanwhile, in this year's budget, over Rs 63,000 crore has been set aside for a 119 km of Phase-II of the project. This is one of the largest projects sanctioned for any city in one go.