Hyderabad: Telangana govt’s proposal to offer free travel on MMTS trains, by compensating South Central Railway (SCR) with around 10 crore per year, may run into a hurdle as the state owes nearly 500 crore in pending dues.Long-standing duesResponding to the proposal, SCR has formally asked the state to clear long-standing payments tied to the MMTS Phase-II project. According to railway officials, the dues have remained unpaid for almost a decade. In a communication to govt, SCR stated that MMTS operations were currently aligned with passenger demand and operational limitations.“SCR reserves the right to determine the number of services to be operated, along with their timings. Facilities at MMTS stations are provided as per extant Railway Board norms. Also, your kind attention is invited towards the dues from the state govt, payable to railways towards implementation of MMTS Phase-II project. This is to the tune of 491.45 crore,” a SCR (commercial department) official wrote to the state.Although the project was conceived as a joint funding effort, railways proceeded with Phase-II construction using their own resources. The agreement required the state to contribute financially, particularly for procuring new train sets. Except for Lallaguda–Sitaphalmandi chord line, works on most sections under Phase-II were completed.Services trimmedAt the same time, falling ridership, driven by the expansion of Metro services and free bus travel for women, has reduced the immediate need for additional MMTS services. Even if free travel is introduced, it might not significantly increase usage until SCR tweaks the services. Fares are already minimal, ranging between 5 and 15, almost four to five times cheaper than RTC buses and Metro services.Still, commuters continue to avoid MMTS due to inconsistent schedules, frequent delays, abrupt cancellations, and the absence of services between 10am and 4pm. Daily ridership has dropped steeply, falling from 1.6 lakh passengers to about 45,000.The path to revival To revive the system, suburban commuters have urged authorities to prioritise MMTS as a key urban transport mode. Their demands include increasing service frequency, fast-tracking pending Phase-II work, initiating Phase-III expansion, and improving connectivity to major hubs such as IT corridors. They also called for stronger coordination between the state and railways, along with assured funding, which would help SCR to improve services, buy new rakes.“Unreliable timings, extended stoppages between stations, and last-minute cancellations are major reasons for abandoning the service. Railways must restore services between 10am and 4pm and bring back the 120 daily services that operated before the pandemic. There is also only one train between Charlapally and Hi-Tec City, and more services are needed,” said P Bharadwaj of Suburban Trains and Bus Travellers’ Association.
