Chennai Metro Rail Limited awards contract for installation of digital route map system in trains, work to begin soon

Chennai Metro Rail to introduce dynamic route maps on trains by next year, enhancing commuter experience.

Commuters using the Chennai Metro Rail will able to view dynamic route maps on trains by early next year, as the contract has now been awarded for the work.

Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) awarded the contract to install the LED-backlit, LCD-based dynamic route map display system in trains to Nusyn Digital Solutions on Wednesday. The work on the project will begin soon.

Metro Rail services, which took off in the city nine years ago, runs 600 trips per day nowadays, covering a 54 km network that carries about 2.7 lakh passengers per day on an average. While CMRL bought 52 trains initially, it now operates 46 trains every day. Initially, 36 trains were in operation, but as the number of travellers rose, CMRL inducted eight more trains to boost trip frequency and handle peak hour passenger traffic.

According to CMRL officials, the route maps have been designed in such a way that it will show the entire map of the phase I and phase I extension networks, followed by the passed stations and the approaching ones. Apart from this, it will show the landmarks at locations the trains pass through. Each train will have 16 such maps.

“Commuters, especially first-time travellers, will find this feature convenient. Apart from the existing features, we are looking into adding ones such as displaying train speed and temperature, both outside and inside the train. Once we see the prototype, we can suggest the changes before the systems are installed in the trains,” an official said.

The prototype will ready in another six months and, subsequently, will be installed in the trains in a phased manner. “Passengers have been asking for better route maps. The feature will be particularly useful while travelling through the underground stretches. Though this feature should have come up at least a year ago, certain issues led to delays in implementing the system,” another official said.