BENGALURU: In April 2017, two ‘rail rokos’ (halt the trains) were staged by commuters, mainly office-goers going to and fro the Yeshwanthpur-Hosur suburban railway line. More than a year since, the revised train timings of the DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit) train will make life easier for people.
Instead of leaving at 6.30 am, it now leaves at 6.10 am, and this move has been welcomed by commuters. Suhas Narayan Murthy, a corporate professional who was present during the protest and has been campaigning for revision of timings, says, “The train was never punctual earlier. Instead of reaching Hosur at 8am, it used to reach at 8.45am or 9 am. This would mean that a lot of techies working in Bellandur, Mahadevpura, Whitefield and Sarjapur areas, would be late to work.”
Naturally, those waiting at Hosur would also be frustrated by the lack of punctuality. Suhas adds,”With the train set to leave earlier, it will help commuters on both ends of the line. Even those living in the suburbs in and around Hosur travelling to work in the industrial areas of Yeshwantpur and Peenya will be benefitted, as the return journey will start on time.”
The return journey from Hosur is supposed to start at 8.30 am and reach Yeshwanthpur at 10 am. While South Western Railway’s Bengaluru division was unable to adhere to these timings earlier, it should not be a problem anymore. E Vijaya, CPRO of South Western Railways, says, “We changed the timings after consulting with commuters. Earlier, the DEMU was delayed due to bunching of trains. This means, within one hour, seven to eight trains would depart. This schedule caused this train to depart late.”
“This revision of the DEMU timings will benefit those travelling from the city to the suburbs,” she adds.
The train also stops enroute at Lottegollahalli, Hebbal, Banaswadi, Bellandur, Karmelram, Heelalige and Anekal. It runs Monday to Saturday, suiting working professionals.