Chennai Metro Rail Banks Upon Smart Solutions To Drive Public Transport Growth

IMPROVING EFFICIENCIES through ICT in the endeavour to position Chennai Metro Rail (CMRL) at the forefront of city’s public transport, L Narasim Prasad, Director, Systems and Operations, CMRL charts out the way forward

- Mohit Rathod

With only 63percent of Chennai’s roads being two-lane, coupled with 40 percent of the city’s population commuting by personalized vehicles (including and two-wheelers and cars), public transport system needs to be highlighted. While Chennai’s bus network – having 834 routes and a fleet of 3,843 buses – carries the major chunk of commuters across the public transport system, Chennai Metro Rail (CMRL) is looking at transforming the city’s transportation habits through effective adoption of Information and Communication Technology. Sharing thoughts on the same, L Narasim Prasad, Director, Systems and Operations, CMRL, says, “People talk about cars. For instance 50 percent of the people in Goa have cars, but the true sense comes in the meaning of a developed country. A developed country is not where the poor have cars, but where the rich travel in public transport. In this endeavour, the Chennai Metro Rail is pushing ahead to get the middle class and upper middle class people also use public transport. For this, we need to be smart, otherwise we will be left behind.”

Chennai is also known as the “Detroit of India”, due the vast presence of the automobile industry. The city has a widespread rapid transit system of 19.34 kms – mostly elevated – run by the Indian Railways. However, talks are underway of its integration with CMRL. The first phase of Chennai Metro Rail will have 54.1 kms, of which, around 28 kms is presently operational.

Mobility pattern

Total number of vehicles is 4.75 million, of which two-wheelers constitute 77 percent. Prasad expresses that personal transport statistics are growing day-by-day, which can only be controlled by adopting smart technologies in CMRL.