CHENNAI (Metro Rail & Steel): Chennai Metro Rail, known for its reliability during adverse weather conditions, faced significant disruption on Tuesday as telecom networks faltered across various areas in the city. The widespread network outage caused a temporary shutdown of online ticket booking services for metro travel, affecting the daily commute of numerous passengers. The management of Chennai Metro Rail confirmed that the interruptions in the cellphone networks across Chennai had rendered online ticket booking facilities non-operational. Consequently, commuters were urged to utilize the metro rail smart card as an alternative for their travel. Moreover, the Singara Chennai cards, which also rely on external networks, faced reliability issues, adding to the commuters’ inconvenience.
To facilitate continued travel for passengers within the metro rail network, the authorities arranged for the issuance of plastic token tickets at station ticket counters. This alternative mode of ticketing was adopted in response to the network disruptions, ensuring that commuters could access the metro rail services seamlessly. The extensive breakdown in network connectivity had impacted various telecom firms, leading to widespread connectivity issues. Numerous residents found themselves disconnected from the outside world, grappling with power outages and the loss of telecom network connections. However, by midday, after the power supply was restored, the telecom networks gradually began functioning again, providing relief to affected individuals.
In response to the disrupted services, Chennai Metro Rail released an advisory assuring passengers about the normal functioning of various ticket formats. Ticketing modes including Metro Travel Card, Static QR, Mobile QR Code ticketing for Single, Return, and Group Tickets, as well as Q.R Trip passes, WhatsApp, Paytm, and PhonePe, were reported to be operational and available for use. The metro rail authorities have remained vigilant and are continuously monitoring the situation to ensure minimal disruption to the commuters’ travel experiences. As the city copes with the aftermath of the network outage, passengers have been encouraged to use the alternative ticketing options provided by Chennai Metro Rail until the regular online services are fully restored.
