CHENNAI: With a daily ridership of 1,488 in April this year to 2,800 in June, the Southern Railway’s Chennai division has claimed the patronage for AC local trains has been steadily increasing since their introduction. The division also said all 9-car suburban trains in Chennai have now been upgraded to 12-car rakes.
Introduced in April this year, eight air-conditioned local train services are currently operating on the Chennai Beach-Chengalpattu route. These services have witnessed a notable rise in ridership, especially during peak hours, at major stations such as Chennai Beach, Guindy, Tambaram, Mambalam, Perungalathur, Potheri, Guduvanchery, and Chengalpattu.
In a statement, the railway said fares for AC local are only marginally higher than those of non-AC first-class tickets. Additionally, the AC local fares are comparable to CMRL rates for distances between 12-15 km and match AC bus fares for travel between 26-40 km.
It also noted the ridership is expected to rise further with the upcoming Phase II extension of the St Thomas Mount-Velachery MRTS and its planned integration with CMRL. Meanwhile, the Chennai railway division has upgraded all 9-car local trains to 12-car on the Chennai Beach-Chengalpattu, Chennai Central-Arakkonam, and Chennai Central-Gummidipundi/Sullurupeta routes.