2 days ago
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With Hyderabad Metro Rail’s Phase-II still stuck on the drawing board and Phase-I grappling with capacity constraints and no new rakes in sight, commuters are turning their attention to a system that already exists but remains underused: the Multi-Modal Transport System, simply known as MMTS. Citizens are urging the South Central Railway (SCR) to ramp up services, improve frequency and ensure punctuality, arguing that if the Metro cannot scale up quickly, MMTS is best placed to plug the gap,especially along the city’s dense suburban corridors.
Currently, around 80 MMTS services link Hyderabad and Secunderabad with suburbs such as Falaknuma, Lingampally, Umdanagar, Cherlapalli and Medchal, carrying nearly 60,000 passengers a day. This is a sharp drop from the earlier 121 daily services and a carrying capacity of about 1.5 lakh before MMTS Phase-II became operational.
“It is no longer possible to travel by metro during peak hours. MMTS can fill the gap if Railways and the government act, as it will take a few years for metro rail extension,” says V. Kumar, a public sector staffer.
To its credit, SCR, in recent months, has been working to streamline MMTS services, keeping available trains close to pre-announced schedules during morning and evening peak hours. Officials say trains now run at about 45-minute intervals between 8 a.m. and 10 a.m. and 5 p.m. and 7 p.m., though 15-to 20-minute delays persist. SCR currently operates 14 rakes of nine coaches each, and there is rising demand to run services on Saturdays, as most people “except a segment of the IT workforce” work that day.
This welcome change, noticed after the new general manager took charge, has been appreciated by regular suburban train passengers, although many remain unaware due to a lack of publicity. Popular services include Hyderabad-Lingampally via Lakdikapul and Begumpet, Falaknuma-Lingampally via Malakpet, Vidyanagar and Kacheguda, and Ghatkesar-Lingampally via Neredmet and Suchitra stations.
Commuters are also pushing for more trains touching the new Cherlapalli terminal, to align suburban movements with long-distance departures. “We are asking for services towards Lingampally via Suchitra Junction and Neredmet, as currently only two trains run between Lingampally and Ghatkesar, one in the morning and another in the evening,” says Bharat, a private employee.
His friend Bharadwaj adds: “Few services can run via Malkajgiri-Secunderabad and Begumpet, linking Cherlapalli-Lingampally. Similarly, services between Cherlapalli-Falakunma/ Umdanagar via Malkajgiri and Kacheguda. This could help passengers catch long-distance trains towards Danapur, Kolkata, Silchar and others starting from Cherlapalli.”
Commuters also note that there is no train between 8:40 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. in the Secunderabad -Medchal section. A commonly suggested fix is diverting some of the 20-odd daily services there onto Falaknuma-Lingampally -Cherlapalli routes to balance demand.
Faithful patrons are pressing for services between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m., to attract non-peak commuters, vendors, small businessmen and those with flexible schedules. “Stations look desolate with no trains through the day, and few would want to hang around sans any public movement,”says Krishna, a regular commuter.
Senior citizen Mohammed suggests running three to four daytime services on the Umdanagar-Falaknuma-Lingampally route, as most existing trains operate either early morning or after dusk. “It would help those trying to catch Vande Bharat and Shatabdi trains that run during the day,” he says.
Regular passengers also seek restoration of the RC Puram-Ghatkesar (47254) via Neredmet and Suchitra Junction to its original timing of 5:15 p.m., pending for the last year, and extensions up to RC Puram from Lingampally. A published and reliable timetable, dedicated platforms at major stations, better access roads to stations like Bhudevinagar and Suchitra, and sustained RPF presence in women’s coaches are some of the other suggestions.
SCR officials cite operational and infrastructure bottlenecks, metro rail efficiency, free bus travel and the growth of bike taxis as reasons for low patronage, despite fares being as low as ₹5 and ₹10. The ongoing Secunderabad station modernisation works, line capacity extensions, stations revamp and so on have also led to suburban train services being affected.
Commuters push back. “What is the point of spending ₹1,100 crore on MMTS Phase-II, building swanky suburban stations, spending crores of rupees, or announcing extensions up to Yadagirigutta from Ghatkesar at an estimated ₹400 crore if sufficient services are not run on schedule,” questions Rakesh.
A. Muralikrishna, a private sector employee says, “MMTS will become the go-to public transport if services are improved, as it is economical and eco-friendly, with most suburban stations nestled in high-density colonies. It can reduce load on the road and air pollution as we are already reaching dangerous levels.”
If SCR takes feedback seriously, publicises service improvements and makes efforts to win back passengers, the capital region could rediscover a public transport solution. All eyes are now on the new timetable.
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