In celebration of the Chennai Metro Rail Limited’s (CMRL) foundation day on Sunday, December 3, passengers can travel for a flat rate of Rupees 5. The offer, which was valid only on December 3, will also be applicable on December 17. In a press release issued on Sunday, CMRL said that they have taken cognisance of cyclone Michaung that is expected to cross north Tamil Nadu on December 4 and extended the offer for one more day on December 17. The offer, it may be noted, can be used only on the purchase of single journey e-QR tickets purchased using payment platforms like PhonePe or WhatsApp and not for Singara Chennai and Travel Card holders. It is also not applicable on the Store Value passes issued on the CMRL app or on paper tickets.
The CMRL has also said that the offer is meant to promote digital modes of payment. According to an earlier announcement, the reduced fare was to be on offer only on December 3. As the oncoming cyclone has led to heavy rains in Chennai, the CMRL has noted that passenger footfall would be greatly reduced and have extended the offer.
On December 3, the deep depression over the Bay of Bengal intensified into a cyclonic storm and was named Michaung (pronounced ‘Migjaum’), the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Michaung is expected to pass by the north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coasts on December 4 and make landfall in Andhra, between Nellore and Machillipattinam, on December 5. Currently, the storm is 310 kilometres off the coast from Chennai and is moving in a northwest direction. Heavy rainfall predictions have been made for Chennai and other districts.
Read: Cyclone Michaung heads towards TN and AP, orange warning for coasts