City’s much-awaited Chukubuku disappoints; runs late every day
BENGALURU: Bengaluru’s much-campaigned-for Baiyappanahalli-Whitefield suburban railway service was upgraded a few days ago, with a quicker train. But few people are actually using this service, launched in August.
While citizens had organised the hugely popular #chukubukubeku campaign to get this suburban line running, most compartments on this train have empty seats. Passengers say that they are happy the train is running but are annoyed that it arrives nearly an hour late every day.Thirty-two-year-old Aravind, a mechanical engineer working in Hoodi, says that the service keeps erratic timing. “A journey of 15 minutes or so is delayed by an hour everyday… it is a good service but the trains are never on time. It is supposed to depart from Baiyappanhalli at 8.25 but the train arrives everyday at 8.45 am and leaves by 9am. It is unpredictable, some days it arrives at 8.30 and at other times at 8.40 or 8.50”.
Srinivas Allavalli, one of the chief organisers of the Chukubukubeku campaign, says that the main problem is that the Railways does not have a separate signal system for the suburban railway line. “This means that they have to share the system with long-distance trains, and have to wait till they pass… We have appealed many times to the Railways to change this, but they are turning a deaf ear. We should not have to beg for this and instead this should be treated on priority. But, often Metro services are prioritised and suburban ones are neglected.”
A senior railway official agrees with Allavalli. “We need a separate signal system to run the suburban line, otherwise there will always be delays because priority is usually given to long-distance Express and Mail trains,” he says, on condition of anonymity. “The suburban trains have to wait for these mainline trains to pass before they are given a green signal.This is unlike in Mumbai and Chennai where they have a separate signal system and staff managing it.”
Abdul, a 33-year-old IT professional, says that the Railways should do more to encourage usage of this service. “We need more trains running on this line, and they should run on time,” he says. “Why can’t we have a service as good as the ones in Mumbai and Chennai?”
Another IT professional says that he waited for the launch of this line for long but is disappointed with the way it is run. “I used to travel by bus but used to be held up in traffic for long, and it had begun to affect my career. I was glad when this new service was launched, believing that the long and irritating delay on commute has passed. But now these trains do not run on time… it is annoying.”
For many, service is a blessing despite hitches
There are those in the city who insist this service is a boon, despite all the trouble. Thirty-year-old Suresh says that he was “fed up” with Bengaluru traffic. “I travel from Peenya to my office in Whitefield, and earlier it used to take me two and half hours,” says this IT professional, adding that he is glad for the empty seats.
“I never used to get a seat in bus and after a hectic day of work I couldn't stand for long,” he says.
Another software professional Ramesh says that he had stopped using his bike, to travel from SV Road to Hoodi, after an accident. “I switched to Metro and was happy with it for a while, but the traffic near KR Puram was painful. I have been looking for an alternative and have waited for this suburban service for a year. Now I take a Metro till Baiyapanhalli and then this train to Hoodi. My one-and-a-half-hour journey has been cut down to 40 minutes now."
Others are grateful for its reliability when cabs are not available in the rains. Twenty-eight-year-old Malavika stays in Tin Factory and works in Whitefield. “Bus works best for me but it is a mess in the evenings. Last week, there were rains and no cabs… I felt helpless. That’s when I decided to switch to this train service."
For others, like 34-year-old daily-wage earner Gopi, buses are expensive. “We don’t make enough to travel by bus from KR Puram to Whitefield and we need to reach on time, else our contractor cuts our salary or is rude. This service is cost-effective and reaches me there early. Earlier I used to pay `30, but now my ticket costs only `10.”
Even IT professional Sunil Kadam, 33, who recently shifted from Mumbai says, “I am used to travelling by local trains. I didn’t know of this service and would take an auto every day. I was spending half my salary on commute and the road traffic was tiring. Therefore, this train service is welcome”.
The train may run late but it is well-maintained says 28-year-old Mohandas who travels from Indiranagar to Whitefield. “It is clean, has cushioned seats and runs faster than the earlier DEMU train,” says this techie. Few days ago, the Railways upgraded the model of the train from DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) to MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit).
‘This is faster, more energy-efficient model’
Chintan Nath is the loco-driver of this train. “It is fun driving this train,” says the 31-year-old. “It is much better than the DEMU trains. MEMU can reverse into the terminal in two minutes. In loco-hauled trains, the locomotive has to be reversed at the terminal and this takes a minimum of half an hour, and during this time other through trains have to be kept waiting. This new MEMU train also has three multiple engines built in and, if any engine is defective, the train will run on the other two engines.” He adds that this model is also more energy-efficient. Also to change direction, the locomotive does not have to be re-attached to the new direction because this train has a loco-pilot cabin on both sides. “I really wish the Department replaces all slow-moving passenger trains by EMU/MEMU trains,” he says.