Hyderabad: There may not be a marked difference in traffic snarls in the city with the launch of Metro, but the 30-km Hyderabad Metro Rail has indeed been a hit with people with more than 1 lakh commuters using it as their daily mode of transport.
Long-distance commuters from Nagole, Secunderabad to Kukatpally, Miyapur and Ameerpet have definitely hopped on to Metro for their daily commute. Scores who earlier travelled by cabs, bikes and buses have switched over to Metro Rail.
Over 2 lakh smart cards have been sold till date which indicate how popular the service has become. The liking that Hyderabad residents has given to Metro has taken even L&T Metro Rail and Hyderabad Metro Rail Limited by surprise. The public outcry during the construction of Metro Rail and the manner in which the pillars and staircases abut the main road had critics giving it thumbs down. But not so for a large section of Hyderabadis, who see it as a comfortable mode of transport.
On the first day of commercial operations on November 29, as many as 25,000 photographs were taken at Miyapur station alone after the service was inaugurated by the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
The park and pylon area at Miyapur have become a ‘tourist spot’ for locals and people coming from neighbouring states for a ride on Metro.
People from small cities in Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Maharashtra who visit Hyderabad for business purposes make it a point to take a Metro ride. Following the enthusiastic response, the government has gone into the fast-track mode to complete the remaining portions and take the benefit of increased revenue from the project. All energies are now focused on completing the HiTec City stretch by 2018.
