Chennai Metro Rail to come up with a manual for helping passengers when services are hit because of glitch

Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) has decided to come up with a manual which will contain instructions on how to manage train operations at times of a technical glitch

On August 31, when an overhead electrical line near Guindy snapped, utter chaos unfolded in Metro Rail stations and commuters were left clueless about the status of the trains.

The incident raised questions about why there was no system in place to inform passengers immediately about the technical glitch and guide them better about frequency and train operations. Learning from the experience, Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL) has decided to come up with a manual which will contain instructions on how to manage train operations at times of a technical glitch.

CMRL officials have begun drafting the manual which is likely to be ready in a month. The officials said it would be an extensive manual with solutions for a host of scenarios, whenever a failure occurs.

“Be it a snag with telecom, signalling, track or train systems, we are making sure to cover all aspects in the manual. For instance, if there is glitch at Little Mount, the manual will tell which stretch will not be operational, what will be the frequency across the network and the measures to be taken. This will ensure passengers are put to less inconvenience during glitches,” an official said.

Sources said the communication should have been very quick when the incident occurred but the lack of it clearly showed when the commuters were posting in the social media about their struggles and delays that day. “It was nearly 45 minutes after the incident that the CMRL message was posted on X. This should not have been the case. As soon as the incident occurs, passengers should be communicated within minutes through app and social media,” a source said.

Officials said they were now taking steps to address this issue as well. Commuters will be informed through multiple means immediately so that they know about a glitch. “We will post it on social media as soon as it happens. Also, we will make announcements in parking lots so that commuters know it before entering the station. We are looking at other ways including alerts in mobile app too,” an official said.