BENGALURU: If you board an auto-rickshaw in Bengaluru, you pay Rs. 25 for the first 1.9 kilometres. For five rupees more, you will now be able to travel all the way to Mysuru, onboard the newly launched Mainline Electrical Multiple Unit (MEMU) by South Western Railways.
With the unmatchable fares on offer, the train service, first introduced in the second week of August, has become a hit among passengers. “At a flat fare of Rs 30 per passenger, one can reach Mysuru from Bengaluru within three hours. The return journey will take a little less than four hours at a top speed up to 110km/hr for the whole journey,” said a railway official.
Earlier, push-pull trains, which have lesser passenger capacity, were being operated on the route. However, with at least 1,800 passengers using these trains daily, the coaches would get too crowded. With the new MEMU services, railway officials say, nearly 3,500 passengers can commute daily in comfort. “In August, we extended one train which was running from Bengaluru to Ramanagara daily, further to Mysuru. We also started a new MEMU service in place of the conventional rake that was running until now. But new trains cannot be added until the Krantiveera Sangolli Rayanna station yard is decongested,” a railway official said.
It has been a boon to commuters travelling from Mysuru, Mandya, and Maddur among other places.