Just this August, the Delhi Metro Rail that spans 190 km of the city with about 140 stations recorded a patronage of 27 lakh. If the commuters have taken to it incredibly well and have given it thumbs up, there is clearly something there that’s beyond connectivity alone. The cleanliness of the stations has remained intact.

That is something that the upcoming Chennai Metro Rail must learn from. It plans to start in a humble way with 10-km connectivity between Koyambedu and Alandur, a few months from now. “We will outsource the maintenance for stations in this stretch for now. Tenders have been awarded. They may begin work soon after the operations start in this alignment,” an official of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) said.

In Delhi Metro too, maintenance has been outsourced. There are about 3,500 personnel who work in three shifts for eight hours each day. There are mechanised cleaning operations with backpack vacuum cleaners and electrically-operated scrubber-driers and there is also biodegradable disposal of garbage, said officials of Delhi Metro Rail Corporation.

But it is not clear how many personnel CMRL plans to employ or the measures it will take for maintenance.