The Operations and Maintenance Team of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited after receiving the award on Friday.
From a mere 10,000 passengers a decade ago, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) today has nearly 3.4 lakh people depending on it for their daily commute, thanks to its maintenance, punctuality, and efficiency.A small CMRL team that meticulously manages the operations of its 54-km network has bagged the Chief Minister’s Good Governance Award for the first time for its maintenance of the stations.S. Satheesh Prabhu, 49, General Manager (Operations and Maintenance), CMRL, who received the award from Chief Minister C. Joseph Vijay on behalf of his team on August 15, says that when he took charge of running the train services nearly a decade ago, he looked at Singapore as the benchmark. “The way they clean, maintain the stations, and operate the services was something that I wanted us to replicate,” he says.Outsourcing and bringing in mechanised cleaning services made all the difference to the maintenance. In 2023, to upgrade the station maintenance, Mr. Prabhu and his team took a leaf out of the Dubai Metro system.“To be rigorous with maintenance of the stations and the various amenities, we saw that Dubai Metro had a system of paying the contractor with Key Performance Indicators. We started following it and began rating our contractor on over 25 such Key Performance Indicators, and every time the performance falls, they lose payment. That is one of the primary reasons why we are able to sustain the upkeep,” he adds.When asked about complaints related to washrooms, he says they have been able to maintain them well in all the paid areas of the station. “Most of the washrooms are over 10 years old now. Hence, we have begun upgrading them. The new ones are already open in a few stations, and we will establish them in other stations too,” he adds.Over time, the CMRL has become one of the most dependable transport systems in the city. From the 2015 floods to the Cyclone Michaung, it continued to operate services through some of the most challenging times the city has faced.“P. Lakshmi (JGM), Arun K. S. (DGM), Arul Radha (Manager), and Madhan Mohan S.K. (Deputy Manager) have donned critical roles in ensuring that the operations run seamlessly. While Ms. Lakshmi and Arul Radha bring with them strong leadership skills and take proactive measures, Mr. Arun and Madhan Mohan arediligent workers and fine planners,” he adds.Mr. Prabhu notes that clean and punctual transport services were something everyone should have access to. Hailing from Periyakollapatti, a remote village near Sattur, he grappled with steep poverty, studied under street lights till the age of 12, before he could become the first graduate in his family in 1998.“For someone like me, train travel was a luxury back then. Today, it feels nothing short of surreal that I am managing the Chennai Metro Rail network, and that my team and I have received an award,” he adds. Published - August 22, 2026 12:54 am IST
