BENGALURU: Even as increasing the ridership on Metro trains is proving to be challenging, a new problem has surfaced for the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited -- safety of its own staffers. It has now come to light that a total of 28 loco pilots and station controllers tested positive for COVID-19 following the restart of operations on September 7 and are recuperating.
A Metro source told The New Indian Express that they were all asymptomatic and out of danger. "They have self-isolated themselves and are in home quarantine or in hospitals as advised by the doctors depending on their health," he said.
Ajay Seth, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited Managing Director told The New Indian Express, “All the affected staff are fine and are mostly asymptomatic. BMRCL proactively arranged testing of the staff who work at stations so that travel by general public can be made safer." Another source said six station maintainers too have tested positive.
Nearly 450 loco pilots and station controllers are presently manning the operations of Metro trains which operate between 7 am and 9 pm on both the Green Line (Yelachenahalli and Nagasandra) and Purple Line (Mysore Road and Baiyappanahalli).
On steps taken for staff safety, an official said that a Covid Care Centre on Bannerghatta Road caters exclusively for BMRCL employees. Thermal scanning to check temperature is carried out for all staffers before they report for duty at stations and trains. “We are following all the SOPs issued by the Centre. Our employees commute to work from their homes in different parts of the city. The infection could have been caught anywhere.”
Ridership hits nearly 7 lakh
A total of 6,92,269 riders have travelled by the Metro in 23 days (Sept 7 to Sept 29). Ridership which stood at an average of 5.1 lakh commuters a day on all working days before March 22 is not even one-tenth of that figure.
While patronage was picking up pace and crossed the figure of 42,000 on all working days last week (September 21 to September 25), the patronage earlier this week has been a letdown. The figures were as follows: September 26: 36,558; September 27: 18,257 and September 28: 30162. It picked up yesterday (September 29) with the highest ridership of 46,157 riders registered on both lines.
The partial shutdown of Green Line operations on Sunday and Monday could also be a reason for this dip in patronage. It was restored on Tuesday.
On ridership not picking up pace, Seth said, "City residents seem to be adhering to the work from home policy." Another official said that the closure of schools and colleges has robbed a good chunk of its ridership. "Once they open up, we will have a increase in our numbers,” he said.
The unrelenting surge in COVID-19 cases in Bengaluru and a subsequent fear of stepping out could also be a reason. No passenger without a mask has been allowed to enter any station or train, an official said. "A few tried arguing and entering at Kempegowda Interchange Metro station but were not allowed inside," he added.