Chennai: AC suburban trains run with empty compartments due to poor patronage

CHENNAI: Despite being introduced over six months ago, the new air-conditioned suburban train services in Chennai is struggling to find patrons and mostly running empty bar a few passengers in each compartment.

According to a report in The Hindu, the services which are operated by Southern Railway on the Beach-Chengalpattu route through Tambaram is reportedly averaging merely around 2800 passengers per day.

Data obtained through the Right to Information Act reveals that there is a significant gap between potential and actual usage. A single 12-car AC train has a total capacity of 4914 passengers and to achieve maximum utilization across the 10 daily services, the trains need to carry atleast 40000 passengers per day. The current figures indicate that the service is operating at less than 10 percent of its total capacity.

Following the appalling patronage, in an attempt to boost the numbers, the Chennai division increased the frequency of services from eight to ten per day in May but to no avail. Commuters noted that the reasons for the poor patronage is mainly the exorbitant fares compared to non-AC services. Apart from this they also said that the random schedules were also an issue along with people preferring the metro over this for last-mile connectivity.

While railway officials noted that while single-journey fares can be high, using a monthly pass makes the journey much more affordable. Despite this, the passes have not succeeded in attracting a larger rider base.

Patrons offered a suggestion that there would be more potential for the success of AC train services if it was run exclusively between Beach and Tambaram, instead of all the way to Chengalpattu. They noted that congested areas would attract more riders rather than operating an empty train for a much longer distance.