Hyderabad: The comeback of city RTC buses has brought down the footfalls on the metro by a whopping 50,000. Hyderabad Metro Rail authorities are however still in denial mode, claiming that more than four lakh passengers are using the metro and the number has decreased by just 20,000, and that operations on the Raidurg metro station has been a saver.
Highly placed sources in HMRL said that the numbers have dropped drastically and HMRL has been projecting false numbers. As many as 50,000 commuters went back to RTC as over 3000 buses hit the roads after the strike. Sources said the HMRL authorities were also falsifying the number of commuters using Raidurg metro station. The high figures projected were just to impress the political bosses and a jam-packed journey occurs only on particular days and times and not every day.
"About four lakh people travel on the metro on a daily basis. We are waiting for the numbers to stabilise. During the RTC strike, 50,000 to 70,000 more people travelled on the metro every day. Now it is balancing out. After RTC strike is over, there have been about 30,000 extra footfalls. Some people have gone back to RTC which is good," said HMRL managing director NVS Reddy.
He added that overall, including the opening of Raidurg, the number of passengers was growing. "We are waiting for it to stabilise. Raidurg's entry-exit footfalls alone are 30,000 with 15,000 for entry and 15,000 for exit. It is rising every day."
He was asked whether more coaches would be added if the numbers are increasing.
"This has been a demand among the public owing to the heavy rush in trains. However, the metro will suffer huge losses if the number of coaches is increased from three to six, " Mr Reddy replied.
