Metro day out for city denizens

Commuters have a whale of time on Sunday

- More than 2 lakh commuters take the ride
- Many surrender their tokens as the trains were crowded
- Officials say they never expected such a huge rush
- Miyapur station becomes the iconic station due to more space
- Commuters urge officials to look into crowd management issues

Hyderabad: It was a ‘metro day out’ for Hyderabadis on Sunday as denizens, who usually go to out to watch movies or restaurants, headed to take a metro ride with their families. Putting people’s prediction that jolly riders would reduce after first two days at bay, people from all corners of the city made a beeline to metro stations. The most popular ride was between Ameerpet to Nagole.

According to senior officials of L & T, by Sunday 6 pm, nearly 2 lakh commuters took the ride. The officials said they never expected such a good response from people.

Being the first Sunday after the metro launch in the city, several people wanted to take their families on a joy ride. However, all were not so lucky. Rama Devi, a bank manager, who purchased a token for a ride from Paradise station to Ameerpet, waited for almost 30 minutes and saw three trains pass by, but could not get in as such was the rush. She said, “I could not wait any longer as I had to rush. I had to surrender the token. Wish I could have used it for another day.”

Miyapur station is fast-gaining the tag of an iconic station as it has more space outside the station for people to sit and relax and the pylon has turned into a major attraction. Madhu, a medical transcriptionist said, “Now we have another clean and swanky spot to spend some time. I spent quality time with my wife and kids. It was a nice experience.” Youngsters and old alike were seen taking selfies at the pylon. Swetha Vats, a content writer said, “The pylon signifies the three corridors and we are happy that it is at Miyapur. I am a resident and take pride of the fact. All of a sudden, Miyapur has turned into a go to place.”

In the initial days, only individuals travelled. But on Sunday, families took the ride. In some stations there was hardly any space and people were seen pushing others to get into the train.

Madhavan, a financial analyst said during the pre-metro days, we would hang out in restaurants, but now we head to Miyapur station.

“My kids were pestering me for the last few days. Now they are happy. However, we had a few anxious moments at the Ameerpet station. Crowd management is a problem and the metro authorities need to look into this,” he added.