Despite being in the throes of an ownership transition from L&T to the Telangana government, Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited has been running additional services every day to help commuters cope with the ongoing Telangana State Road Transport Corporation (TGSRTC) workers’ strike.
In sharp contrast, another major public transport system—the MMTS suburban train service operated by the South Central Railway (SCR)—is yet to announce any augmentation of services, even though it offers one of the most affordable commuting options and boasts a wide network spanning the length and breadth of the Hyderabad metropolitan region.
This reluctance appears symptomatic of how suburban train services have been run over the last few years—largely oblivious to passenger needs—despite the city’s rapid growth and the parallel expansion of railway infrastructure.
Telangana Govt pushes for free MMTS travel to boost use of public transport, offers to bear ticket fares
Ironically, a week ago, Telangana’s top civil servant, Chief Secretary M. Ramakrishna Rao, along with senior officials, met SCR General Manager Sanjay Kumar Srivastava and his team at Rail Nilayam. The high-level meeting, a first in many years, aimed at resolving pending issues and establishing closer coordination between the State government and the Railways.
