Fares most expensive in country

With the launch of two underground stretches — Nehru Park to Chennai Central and Saidapet to AG-DMS — the maximum fare has once again gone up to ₹70, making Chennai Metro Rail the costliest in the country. The minimum has been retained at ₹10.

The fares for the special class will be double that of ordinary class and range from ₹20-140. Commuters have the option of buying tokens or smart cards but only those who buy smart cards will get 10% discount in fares.

Metro Rail officials said the fares were required to meet operational requirements, such as running trains and to meet other expenses.

An official said they could not reduce the fares now as it would be very difficult to revise the fares in the future.

Experts seem divided on fixing of high fares. V. Subramani of the Traffic and Transportation Forum said, “If a regular commuter wants to take the Metro Rail everyday from Central to airport, then he will be spending nearly ₹2,000 a month. Can middle-class commuters afford these fares? It seems like they have built it only for the elite sections of society.”

Gitakrishnan Ramadurai, a professor at IIT-Madras, said a large investment [of ₹14,600 crore] was required for the Metro Rail. “The ticket fare must have been decided considering the financial viability of the project. However, they can rent out additional spaces on trains for advertisements or retail outlets,” he said.