BENGALURU: After a gap of over eight months, the first set of unreserved passenger trains in the country chugged out of the South Western Railway Zone on Monday morning. Barring dedicated suburban rail services and special trains in which only reserved tickets are allowed, no regular passenger train has been operating since March 22.
The Mysuru-Bangarpet MEMU (Train no. 06558) was the first train with unreserved passengers on board to depart from Mysuru at 5.50 am. It was followed by the Marikuppam-Bengaluru MEMU (Train no. 06556) which departed at 6.34 am from Marikuppam with nearly 500 passengers. Kolar MP S Muniswamy was on board the train interacting with passengers and spreading awareness on the travel precautions to be taken against COVID-19. By 1.30 pm, a total of seven unreserved trains had completed their trip.
It was a shockingly empty MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) train from KSR Bengaluru to Hosur (No. 06548) that readied to depart from Platform 3 of the station. This is the first MEMU to be run after electrification of this section.
The 16-bogeyed train can generally accommodate nearly 2,000 passengers on board with seating for 1184 available. However, the opening day had less than ten passengers on board at KSR and most were railway employees commuting to stations en route -- Bengaluru Cantonment, Bengaluru East, Baiyappanahalli, Bellandur, Karmelaram, Heelalige, Anekal -- for work.
The MEMU departed almost empty at 7.15 am. A railway staffer present told The New Indian Express, "Passengers will start boarding the train midway. It is not as bad as it looks now."
Kailesh Choudhary, a tax consultant, was heading to his hometown in Hosur by the train. "I had just reached KSR Bengaluru half an hour ago from Hyderabad by the Kacheguda Express. I checked online for trains and got to know this train was departing today. This is very convenient for me," he said. Another traveller K Abhishek said, "I am excited to take the first official MEMU journey. I had to pay only Rs 20 between Bengaluru and Hosur. I would like to say that passengers should make use of this cheap and safest mode of transport."
Kaniamma, a railway housekeeping staffer, was heading to Baiyappanahalli on the train. "We have rail passes to be used on the 'Workmen Train' only for railway employees all these days. I was informed at the station to leave by this train today," she said. Manak Lal, another railway employee, was on his way to Cantonment by the train. "This will take me just 10 minutes compared to at least half an hour by bus," he said. Two other employees of the Works Division, who requested anonymity, said they would alight at Baiyappanahalli station where they were posted.
The other special passenger trains that completed their run by 1.30 pm were the Hindupur to Yesvantpur MEMU, Yesvantpur to Hassan DEMU (Diesel Electric Multiple Unit), Hosur to KSR MEMU, and Tumkur-Yesvantpur DEMU.
All steps to ensure passenger safety by distribution of masks, sanitisers, markings at both station counters and inside trains and thermal screening were in place.
The other trains that would be run by the end of the day are the return trips: KSR to Marikuppam MEMU, Yesvantpur to Tumukur DEMU, Hassan to Yesvantpur DEMU, Bangarpet to Mysuru MEMU and Yesvantpur to Hindupur MEMU passenger.