Hyderabad: Hyderabad Metro Railway (HMR) On Saturday, the Hyderabad Metro Railway (HMR) acted to catch many off guard, and the Hyderabad Metro Railway (HMR) implemented its first-ever fare since operations began in 2017. The lowest fare has been increased from Rs 10 to Rs 25, and the highest rupees have been increased from Rs 60 to Rs 60 to Rs 75, with a price tag of 25%.
HMR operator L&T Metro Rail (Hyderabad) Ltd said that the revision was inevitably made due to the cumulative losses of more than Rs 65 billion and the increasing operating costs. It said hiking is crucial to maintaining service quality, safety and infrastructure.
But the sudden announcement sparked frustration at subway stations across the city. Long queues are not only for tokens, but also for answers. “I saw at least four people arguing with the staff. One man refused to move through the gate until someone explained the hike.”
Deccan Chronicle Later, a similar scenario was witnessed at Ameerpet station, with senior sales director Deshmukh insisting on the explanation. “I travel from Ameerpet to Hitech City every day. This rate hike means more Rs 600 per month. Why didn’t we tell us earlier? They talk about losses, but we want visible improvements to justify the fees.”
Many daily passengers say the rate hike is steep compared to the subway systems in cities such as Delhi and Kolkata. “Instead of increasing the fare, it’s better to increase the frequency on crowded lines like the Blue Line (Raidurg-Nagole)” said regular commuter Nivedita Bharatam.
In busy traffic transactions, such as Ameerpet, Parade Grounds and LB Nagar, there was a fierce exchange between commuters and employees. “I’ve been traveling every day for many years. If I’m paying more, I want more trains and better cleanliness,” said private school teacher J. Madhavi. Some station guards struggled to answer questions from angry passengers.
Students and daily wage earners expressed strong concern. “I spend Rs 40 a day. Now, I have to reduce food or other essentials,” said Faruq Shah, a graduate student at Malkajgiri.
The fare hike is also taking place when the metro faces competition from TSRTC’s Mahalakshmi program, which provides women with free bus trips. Metro officials acknowledged that this has weakened passenger volumes, with the plan ranging from 5.5 million to 460,000 since its launch in December 2023.
“As we absorb the shock, the bigger challenge for the subway will be to regain public trust. Without that, fares may only drive away more commuters,” said Vivek Rajashekaran, 42.
