BENGALURU: A year and a half after implementing the rule of metro services starting at 8 am on Sunday, instead of 5 am, as is the case on weekdays, commuters from Bengaluru and travellers from other places are facing inconvenience.
Many people are still unaware of the rule, which was enforced for maintenance purposes by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) in June 2017.
When CE visited Yeshwanthpur Metro station, directly opposite the Yeshwanthpur railway station, a crowd of people was waiting with their luggage and family members on the Metro’s staircase.
“I have been waiting since 7 am with my wife, child and heavy luggage. We came from Belgaum and stay in Jayanagar. We were unaware of this rule and have no other choice. BMRCL should start the metro early as well since railway trains reach early in the morning and commuters have to wait for the metro,” said Ravi Chougule.
Since cab prices soar to between Rs 300 and Rs 500, Ravi and his family chose to wait for the Metro to start running. The display board at the station entrance, notifying the time of the first and last Metro, including Sundays, was in small print, and at a height that is easy to miss.
Aishanee Roy, an agriculture engineer who was also waiting since 7 am, said, “I am coming from Ludhiana after taking two trains – a two-day and one night journey. After all this, I have to wait for the Metro with all my luggage. I need to head to Whitefield and other transport options are too costly. I was unaware of the 8 am rule.”
While she was okay with the Metro starting later on Sunday, she felt more visible signboards and a proper announcement should be made regularly. Since she had moved to the city six months ago, she was not familiar with the metro train timings.
The situation is similar on Sundays at the Kempegowda Metro Station. Mirza Khan, a resident nearby, said “I am a local resident and I didn’t know about the timings. There is just a small paper on the wall that reads that metro starts from 8 on Sunday. Many tend to ignore it, proper announcements or big posters must be there to spread this information.”
Sunil Beedal, another resident, suggested an app with Namma Metro timings and other live updates.
“I have been living in the USA for the past year and there, we have proper applications which keep us updated about such information. I have been waiting in the cold since 7 am and I am running late.”
A regular metro commuter, Supriya Shetty was also unaware of the rule.
“A few weeks ago I travelled from Mangluru to reach Majestic bus stand at 6.30 am. I had not used the metro on a Sunday before, so I was not aware of the 8 am rule. I had no choice but to wait,” said Supriya, who found several other outstation travellers waiting at Kempegowda Metro Station in the wee hours of the morning.
According to BMRCL, however, the maintenance timings cannot be cut short as it is essential
for smooth operations through the week.