Chennai Metro Rail patronage sees steady increase From starting with just a few cycles in stations, several Metro stations have smart bikes now. On Sunday, many cycling enthusiasts and commuters promptly arrived at Egmore Metro station with smart bikes and took a ride. According to officials of Chennai Metro Rail Ltd. (CMRL), before COVID-19, a lot of commuters would pick up cycles from stations and travel but this changed after service resumed following the lockdown. “Initially, patronage took a hit. We had only 10,000 people and we did not have takers for cycles. But this is changing now and we do see some commuters using cycles and Smart Bikes from our stations. Right now, the patronage is growing and we touch about 55,000 a day in the weekdays and as this grows further, we will certainly see more people using smart bikes and cycles. We want to promote clean energy and are happy when commuters show interest with in non-motorised modes of transportation,” an official said.