Cherlapally Railway Terminal, which is the fourth terminal of Hyderabad, has bri гten with growth in its number of passengers since the very first day of its opening. No less than 5,000 passengers daily travel via the terminal to and from the city, utilizing the train lines to get around within the city and even to other areas. The terminal has managed to attract a significant number of long-distance and special train passengers, but lack of local accessibility still remains as a crucial issue.
There is only one morning and evening MMTS train running from Lingampalli to Sanathnagar, Suchitra, Moula Ali, and Cherlapally up to Ghatkesar throughout the day. The reduced service along with the minimal bus options in the city during the early morning and late-night hours force the commuters to depend on autos, cabs, and bike taxis which causes the travel cost to go up tremendously.
Major Trains Operating from Cherlapally
There are a number of major trains which Cherlapally has to take care of, among them being the East Coast Express, Chennai Central Superfast, Silchar Weekly Superfast, Yeshvantpur Tri-Weekly Garib Rath, Tirupati–Adilabad Krishna Express, Narsapur–Nagarsol Superfast, and Visakhapatnam Tri-Weekly Express. The management has already made up their minds to transfer extra trains which are currently operating from Secunderabad and Nampally to Cherlapally, such as the Secunderabad–Danapur Express and Howrah–Falaknuma Superfast, to the latter station to reduce the passenger count at the former.
Poor local connectivity is still a big problem, though. Buses coming from nearby areas like Borabanda and Mehdipatnam have to take a longer route to get to Cherlapally, and this results in long waits for the passengers. Connectivity problem could be solved by direct MMTS trains from Lingampalli to Ghatkesar and extra services from Secunderabad and Nampally to Cherlapally, as advocates propose.
Special Trains During Sankranti
One such festival Sankranti was also celebrated by the railway authorities with extra trains. Therefore, the authorities announced ten new trains from Cherlapally to Kakinada, Narsapur, Machilipatnam, Tirupati, and Visakhapatnam. On the other hand, those passeners living on the outskirts of the city have problems to get to the station and it is not unusual for them to pay high taxi (₹450 from Punjagutta) and auto (₹350) fares, which, on some occasions, are even higher than the sleeper train ticket price.
Increasing Trips Can Reduce Pressure
Suburban passenger associations recommend increasing MMTS trips from Lingampalli to Ghatkesar to at least 15 daily trips, with possible routes via Suchitra, to make commuting easier for daily passengers.
Benefits for IT Professionals
IT employees commuting to Hi-Tech City and other areas would also benefit greatly from additional MMTS services during peak morning and evening hours, reducing travel time and expenses significantly.
