Metro rail passengers in Chennai are shelling out anywhere between Rs 5
to Rs 30 more for train rides across distances above eight kilometres
compared to most other metro rail services in the country with the
exception of Mumbai. While the maximum fare is capped at Rs 70 in CMRL,
metro rail fares in cities like Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kochi and Delhi
are capped at between Rs 40 to Rs 60.
A 11km line in Mumbai operated by Metro One Operation Private Limited, a joint venture between two France-based transport operators and Reliance Infrastructure, is the costliest in the country, charging commuters a maximum fare of Rs 110 for a single journey.
For a ride from Nehru Park to the airport covering a distance of about 21 km, commuters have to spend Rs 60. Travelling the same distance would save commuters between Rs 10 to Rs 30 on other metro rails like those in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kochi and Delhi. A 14-km metro train ride from Koyambedu to the airport, which costs Rs 50, is more expensive by Rs 5 to Rs 20 over the same distance on other metro services.
Metro rail officials said the board of directors for CMRL decided on the fares, which could be maintained for the coming years even when the network expands. "The fares were decided based on affordability, because hiking fares once the service is thrown open for the public is a difficult process and commuters will not welcome the move," an official said.
A retired railway official said that while the high fare may not bring any profit for the service providers, the metro rail service in the city has spent more on construction, as most of the line runs underground. Officials said it costs about Rs 650crore for constructing one kilometre of underground section and about Rs 250 crore for the same distance on an elevated corridor. 24 km of the 45km phase-1 project is underground. "Maintenance of these stretches is also expensive. If we have to fix fares based on construction and maintenance cost, then a ticket would cost Rs 500," the official said
A 11km line in Mumbai operated by Metro One Operation Private Limited, a joint venture between two France-based transport operators and Reliance Infrastructure, is the costliest in the country, charging commuters a maximum fare of Rs 110 for a single journey.
For a ride from Nehru Park to the airport covering a distance of about 21 km, commuters have to spend Rs 60. Travelling the same distance would save commuters between Rs 10 to Rs 30 on other metro rails like those in Hyderabad, Bangalore, Kochi and Delhi. A 14-km metro train ride from Koyambedu to the airport, which costs Rs 50, is more expensive by Rs 5 to Rs 20 over the same distance on other metro services.
Metro rail officials said the board of directors for CMRL decided on the fares, which could be maintained for the coming years even when the network expands. "The fares were decided based on affordability, because hiking fares once the service is thrown open for the public is a difficult process and commuters will not welcome the move," an official said.
A retired railway official said that while the high fare may not bring any profit for the service providers, the metro rail service in the city has spent more on construction, as most of the line runs underground. Officials said it costs about Rs 650crore for constructing one kilometre of underground section and about Rs 250 crore for the same distance on an elevated corridor. 24 km of the 45km phase-1 project is underground. "Maintenance of these stretches is also expensive. If we have to fix fares based on construction and maintenance cost, then a ticket would cost Rs 500," the official said
No comments:
Post a Comment