BENGALURU: Namma Metro’s three-hour delay in commencing train operations on Sundays is causing frustration and time loss to countless commuters. Thousands of passengers from across the state arriving by trains and buses at Majestic in the early hours directly head to Kempe Gowda Interchange Metro station for a quick and cheap journey to their destinations. But they are greeted by this placard placed at the entrance of the station:
Metro services run only from 8am on Sundays.
The time revision for Sundays was effected on June 25, just a week after the launch of commercial operations for full Phase-I. According to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd, this was done to facilitate maintenance work on both lines. Poor ridership on early morning trains was also cited as a reason.
This reporter and photographer went to the spot at 7am on Sunday. It was a shocking sight with hundreds of passengers simmering with rage at the main entrance of Kempe Gowda Metro station (just across KSR railway station). Adding to the confusion was a huge posse of security personnel there to prevent the public from entering the station. Most of them were unaware of the new timing.
There were passengers with luggage grumbling over the delay in running of trains, the elderly pleading with the security personnel to be permitted to sit on the steps, children squatting on the floor and public discussing among themselves on the need to begin services at the usual 5am. Seizing the opportunity, autorickshaws were hailing passengers to come on board as “trains will run only after many hours”.
When the doors opened a few minutes before 8am, passengers ran ahead to catch the first departing trains on both the lines. Officials at the station and security staff had an unenviable task of managing the crowd.
BMRCL Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola said, “The ridership was less during early mornings though a growth trend was witnessed. Earlier, only 200 commuters used to travel on both the lines during the early morning hours but it has increased to 400 now ”exam candidates Worried: