more-in Chennai Metro Rail has recorded a sudden spurt in the number of passengers, with last week witnessing about 28,000 using this system. This is between 4,000 – 6,000 people more than the 22,000 - 24,000 opting for the network every week. According to officials of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL), the increase in the number of commuters began only last week. “We haven’t been able to gauge yet what caused this sudden increase,” an official said. Officials felt this may well be due to parents who, with schools closed, are taking their children on Metro for the sake of joy rides during summer. Nehru Park, Chennai airport and CMBT Metro Rail stations are popular entry and exit points for the new commuters although officials refused to give figures on the numbers for these stations specifically. “We have seen that several passengers going to the Chennai airport and those travelling to other places from CMBT find it convenient to take the Metro,” an official added. Further rise expected Officials said they expected the number to rise significantly when the Chennai Central Metro Rail station and Chennai Egmore Metro Rail station are opened next month. Chennai Metro Rail’s first service between Koyambedu to Alandur started three years ago. At that time, the number of commuters was just 8,000 - 10,000. When connectivity was extended to Chennai airport, it increased a little. A year ago, when the underground stretch between Thirumangalam to Nehru Park opened, the number rose to about 22,000. However, only if Chennai Metro Rail substantially improves the last mile connectivity, like bringing in small buses to drop off commuters at their eventual destination, will more number of people want to use the system, warn experts.

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