Chennai: Hoping the non-peak hours immediately after lunch would help us enjoy our first metro ride without much hassle, we reached Koyambedu station around 1.45 pm on Sunday. The sight of a large number of families getting down from cars and bikes at the parking lot dashed our hopes of a cushy Sunday ride in Chennai’s latest attraction.
The Koyambedu metro station wore a festive look on a hot Sunday afternoon with long queues of passengers before every counter to get tokens while family members looked curiously around the station. There was anxiety about getting on to the train but a sense of thrill too in anticipating a maiden metro ride.
As we reached the platform flooded with excited people of all age groups, metro assistants with shrill whistles in their mouths warned commuters not to stray too close to the track. The train arrived on time and was filled within a few seconds. Parents and elders eagerly pointed out the city’s landmark buildings along the way. Youngsters were busier chatting and clicking selfies.
Being determined to enjoy the ride right up to Alandu, very few in the crowd got down at wayside stations. After buying tickets for the return journey, we took the steep stairs to reach the platform huffing and puffing as the escalator was not working.
The return journey too was also crowded and as the train zipped through the 10-km stretch covering seven stations, it was gratifying to be reassured by the metro rail that the city has been managing to sustain its green cover amid concrete structures. And Chennai has got another place for Sunday outing with families, besides the standard entertainment places - Marina and Elliot’s beach.
