It all started when the suburban train services department’s handle @DRMChennai put out an illustration showing the comparison of fares between their services and that of the Chennai Metro Rail. This contained a table showing how the fares for the same distance travelled by suburban local trains were almost 5 to 10 times lesser than that of the Chennai Metro Rails.
Their caption said, “Equally fast and most economical. Chennai Suburban Services.” The tweet went on to add, “This information was shared as there was a demand from public. Chennai Suburban system and CMRL complement each other and provide enhanced connectivity to Chennai city. We are working together in many areas for better connectivity.”
Replying to this, the @CMRLofficial, which is the handle of the Chennai Metro Rail, said, “Hi @DrmChennai, Well we do provide Round the Clock Security, AC Coaches and well maintained state of the art Metro Stations with on time train schedules!”
This Twitter spat quickly became viral, as Twitterati started supporting either side in this online debate. Supporters of the Metro came up with arguments as to how the suburban trains had a huge pickpocketing menace and had unhygienic standards of maintenance. Some even went ahead and pointed out that the time schedules were rarely adhered to and that one could only dream of reaching one’s destination on time while sticking to suburban train travel. Those in support of the Suburban rail services retorted about how the affordability of the Chennai metro services was highly questionable, and that not everyone was able to go on a metro train.
This information was shared as there was a demand from public. Chennai Suburban system and CMRL complement each other and provide enhanced connectivity to Chennai city. We are working together in many areas for better connectivity.
— DRM Chennai (@DrmChennai) February 25, 2021
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