Hassles at the gates: Commuters say they haven’t faced any difficulty while swiping
smartcards, but while using the National Common Mobility Cards and QR code-based tickets, they have encountered problems on some occasions.
| Photo Credit: B. JOTHI RAMALINGAM
Chennai Metro Rail Limited has finally taken the first step towards changing the ticketing gates for the Phase I network. It has called for tenders. The decision is essential since minor glitches occur at times in the old ticketing gates owing to the wear and tear. They stop functioning for a while or take more time to process the new Singara Chennai Cards and QR code-based tickets.
At stations with high footfalls such as Guindy, AG-DMS, Thousand Lights, Airport, and Chennai Central, commuters run into problems at the Automatic Fare Collection gates, or ticketing gates, at peak hours.
Several options
Since the launch of the train services in 2015, Chennai Metro Rail Limited has floated ticketing options such as tokens, smartcards, the National Common Mobility Cards, and WhatsApp and QR code-based tickets. Commuters say they haven’t faced issues while swiping smartcards, but while using the National Common Mobility Cards and QR code-based tickets, they have encountered difficulties on some occasions.
R. Boopalan, who swipes the new Singara Chennai Cards for travel on Chennai Metro Rail trains, says that when compared with the old contactless smartcards, the new Singara Chennai Cards take a little longer to be recognised.
“At lean hours, this is not a problem. But when people are rushing to work at peak hours, the queue takes time to clear since thousands of people have switched to the Singara Chennai Cards or the QR code-based tickets. It is high time Chennai Metro Rail Limited upgraded the infrastructure and open new gates,” he says.
I. Yuvaraj, a working professional, opts for the Singara Chennai Card when he commutes alone and purchases group QR code-based tickets while travelling with his family. “There have been instances of the gates having stopped working for a brief period and the queue getting diverted to the other gates, resulting in congestion. Then, when I use the group ticket and travel with my family, the gate gets stuck now and then. We must then reach out to the staff member who will open it. I’m glad that new ticketing gates are going to be installed and these issues will blow over,” he adds.
1,200 ticketing gates to be bought
According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Limited, they will buy 1,200 ticketing gates and nearly 500 of them will be installed in the 45-km Phase I network. The gates in the 9-km Phase I extension network were changed only a few years ago, and hence the need to replace them doesn’t arise now.
“We have invited bids for the project, and if the contract is finalised in three months, the gates will arrive later this year. Then we will replace the old gates with the new ones within a year,” says an official.
Furthermore, Chennai Metro Rail Limited has implemented another measure: keeping the gates in the ‘open mode’ at stations having a high footfall. For a start, at Thousand Lights, the ticketing gates are open at peak hours.
“Usually, the gates close and get locked after each swipe. But they are always open now. This has been done to ensure that the new Singara Chennai Cards are processed faster and there is no queue of passengers. But if a passenger tries to get past the gate without ticket, the gate will lock. If this works well, it will be extended to a few other stations,” says another official.
This was not implemented earlier because if a child accidentally tries to go past the gate, the gate will get locked and he or she could get hit. “We have put up signage at Thousand Lights warning passengers and a staff member has also been posted near the gate,” he adds.
The only way forward
Sources say the Automatic Fare Collection gates were purchased more than a decade ago; hence, problems occur. “The technology was different when the gates were bought for the Phase I network. When we introduced the Singara Chennai Cards, changes were made to the gates to make them compatible with the old and new smartcards. When we make such changes, some glitches are bound to happen. Hence, changing the gates as a whole and bringing in new ones is the way forward,” according to a source.
Published – April 22, 2025 11:05 pm IST