The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Combined rail-cum-road ticket proposal cleared

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Aug 02, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Combined rail-cum-road ticket proposal cleared

V.Geetanath

Rs. 400 fixed as monthly fare for travel-as-you-like in both RTC ordinary buses

HYDERABAD: All of a sudden, Railways seem to have re-discovered the virtues of Multi-Mode Transit System (MMTS). The Railway Board (RB) has finally cleared the combined rail-cum-road ticket proposal last week and South Central Railway even took up an `awareness drive' in old city.

RB fixed Rs. 400 as monthly fare for travel-as-you-like in both RTC ordinary buses and MMTS trains on a 50:50 revenue sharing basis. The combined day travel card has been priced at Rs. 40. Students are to get a concession of 50 per cent from the fares cleared by Railways and APSRTC has been asked to suggest a convenient date for issuing tickets.

These steps, though welcome, might not be enough to give a boost to MMTS services started three years ago amid high expectations. Moreover, the Railways are yet to permit increasing frequency of trains and formation of a special purpose vehicle (SPV).

Within a year, MMTS was to run 314 trains and carry one to 1.5 lakh passengers each day, but right now, it is 64 trains and 40,000 passengers with SCR even curtailing 10 trains due to "lack of patronage". Phase one covered 43 km of Secunderabad-Hyderabad-Lingampalli (28 km) and Secunderabad-Falaknuma (15 km).

Combined ticket too had come about only after Municipal Administration Secretary S.P. Singh had sent a strong reminder to RB Chairman about the pending issues after an appraisal by Chief Minister Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy last month.

Mr. Singh pointed out that Government had invested Rs. 100 crores, but only 20 per cent of the services were being run. As per the detailed project report, they were to have a 15-minute frequency during peak hours and 20-30 minutes otherwise.

Seven minutes

Frequency was further to be increased to seven minutes with additional capital inputs. Currently, frequency is 48 minutes at peak hours and six hours otherwise in some sections with no service for three hours in the afternoon!

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