The Chennai Metro Rail Corporation (CMRL) has announced that old metro cards will be discontinued with the introduction of the new system from August 1. Commuters will no longer be able to recharge the old cards. From next month, only the Singara Chennai Card, which is based on the format of the National Common Mobility Card (NCMC), will be accepted for top-ups at all 41 metro stations in Chennai.
If your old metro card still has balance, it will continue to be in use until the balance runs out. As soon as your card balance drops below ₹50, you will have to surrender that card at the ticket counter of any metro station as then that card will stop working. After this, you will be given a new Singara Card without any additional charge.
According to a Times Property report, the new card will be issued free of cost and the balance and security deposit in the old card will also be automatically transferred to the new card.
The Singara card, launched in 2023, is compliant with the NCMC standards formulated by the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs. It is designed to serve as a single payment instrument for multiple modes of transport, including buses, metro and toll booths.
To assist commuters during this transition, CMRL plans to set up help desks at every metro station to ease the transition from the old card to the new one. Other digital facilities like QR code-based ticketing through mobile apps will not be affected by this change.
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