This year, the grand 75th Independence Day celebrations and later political developments had ensured that only a few remembered the 19th anniversary of the popular public rail transport system, MMTS, which went off in a flash.
It was way back on August 9, 2003, that the 42-km Phase I connecting Hyderabad, Secunderabad, Falaknuma and Lingampally, came into force. Gradually in phases, the MMTS service was extended in a unique 50:50 cost sharing partnership between the State government and South Central Railway (SCR). It was flagged off by then Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani.
The MMTS trains were not as quick as today’s Metro trains or had a frequency to boast of, as they had to compete with the regular passenger trains and freight specials regarding space and time. There was no air-conditioning and the trains were not punctual even during peak business hours. Yet, up to 1.6 lakh passengers used to take these MMTS trains with 121 services daily and more than 1,155 passengers per trip before the COVID pandemic.
