Inadequate metro rail services leave Chennai Super Kings fans stranded

CHENNAI: The joy and frenzy after the Chennai Super Kings (CSK) defeated Lucknow Super Giants (LSG) in the IPL match at M A Chidambaram stadium on Monday night turned into frustration as the fans who reached Government Estate metro station for their return trip had to wait for a while to board trains. They were waiting at the platforms, at the concourse level and outside the station after 11.30pm, confused if trains would arrive.
The fans said they were not aware of the frequency of trains. Some of them had to wait for about an hour to board a train to their destination. Some kept enquiring with station staff as to when the trains would come. "When I entered the station, the schedule display on the platform said the next train would arrive in 26 minutes. But no train arrived. We had planned our journey to the stadium and back home by metro trains as CMRL had announced it would operate trains for fans after the end of the match. The CMRL initiative was good but planning and execution was poor," said R Sanjana, a cricket fan who along with her friends came from Anna Nagar to watch the match.
Earlier, CMRL announced it would extend the train service hours by 90 minutes for all IPL matches in the city while it usually ends services at 11pm. However, it did not inform the frequency of trains during the extended hours.
A CMRL official said more than 9,000 people used the metro rail service after 11pm on Monday and trains were operated every 30 minutes during the extended hours. Following crowding and complaints from passengers, a CMRL official said they may operate trains for every 15 minutes during the extended service hours from the next IPL match.