BENGALURU: With Namma Metro set to step into its 13th year this Friday (October 20), and riding high as its 73.81-km network has begun averaging a daily ridership of 7 lakh, what has been its contribution towards enhancing the quality of life in Bengaluru city? Has it made a difference in easing the notorious traffic gridlocks and commute for Bengalureans? With the Metro network set to expand four-fold in the future, what lies ahead?
The recent development connecting the entire Purple Line stretch from Challaghatta to Whitefield Kadugodi has been overwhelmingly welcomed by citizens, with daily ridership instantly shooting up by over 1 lakh. The 4.15-km additional route opened on October 9.
The next big milestone for the Metro is slated for February 2024, when the RV Road-Bommasandra line via Electronics City gets commissioned. The longer expansion goals are 175km by June 2025 and 314km by 2041.
TNIE interacted with top Metro officials, experts, prominent voices advocating public transport and close watchers of the transportation scene to seek answers. M N Anucheth, Joint Commissioner of Traffic, Bengaluru, said that in just four days since the Metro began operations on its full Purple Line, there has been a 15 per cent to 20 per cent reduction in traffic at four junctions: Baiyappanahalli, Benniganahalli, Tin Factory and Lowry Junction. “The reduction in the morning is 20 per cent, and 15 per cent in the evening,” he said.
When the Outer Ring Road Line gets commissioned, the Silk Board Junction too will have major relief, he felt. Police sources at Whitefield said the congestion at KR Pura Junction has already disappeared. “There is big relief on Outer Ring Road due to feeder buses from KR Pura Metro Station, taking techies to their offices. When the RV Road-Bommasandra line is commissioned, ridership would touch 10 lakh,” he added.
A S Shankar, Executive Director, Operations and Maintenance, BMRCL, said, “With our new stretch, Metro has changed how people commute in Bengaluru as they can easily cris-cross the city from all corners. I hear people say they are travelling from Whitefield to South Bengaluru, and from South to East. Metro has revolutionised public transport.”
He added that it has made two transport modes work in unison to ferry the public. “We are the trunk service and BMTC provides feeder service.” TV Mohandas Pai, Chairman, Aarin Capital Partners, who is quite vocal about issues facing the city, says Bengaluru Metro will be a real game-changer only when its reach extends to at least 250km. “Delhi Metro now covers 393km and has a ridership of 68 lakhs. Delhi would have choked by now, but for its Metro reach. Bengaluru Metro averages a ridership of 7 lakhs now for its 73-km network. Its ridership could touch 35 lakhs when it covers 250km. Then it could make a significant impact on travel.”
He added, “The real question to be examined here is how much of the population is actually using the Metro network. For a city of 1.2 crore population, Metro’s contribution to travel is less than 1 per cent.”
Sanjeev V Dyamannavar, urban transportation expert, says, “People of Bengaluru have shown a willingness to adopt good, well-integrated public transport even if the cost is high. As per DPR estimates, daily ridership with adequate Metro cars should reach 13 lakh, and subsequently, 18 lakh,” he said. BMRCL needs to ensure multi-modal integration with BMTC, Indian Railways & Foot Over Bridges, and increase frequency to reach this 18lakh figure, he added.
The state government and BBMP need to come up with a parking policy and advertisement policy for the city, as advised by the Urban Development ministry in its February 21, 2014, letter to boost public transport systems in the city. “BMRCL needs to complete the remaining 106km under construction without further delays, as governments have made massive capital investments in the Metro project,” he added. Srinivas Alavilli, who canvasses for public transport consistently, and is behind the hugely popular #Personal2Public campaign, says, “The year 2023 is a milestone year for Bengaluru Metro as the Purple Line came alive, bringing joy and relief to lakhs of citizens who live and work in Whitefield. The fact that the Purple Line can offer a lifeline to ORR by means of BMTC feeder buses is an added bonus till the Blue Line comes alive.”
He adds, “The twin major challenges for BMRCL now are how to manage the surging crowds in its trains and to deliver the Yellow Line as promised. Metro can alleviate traffic woes only if it is integrated with bus and other modes of transport, including auto, cycling and walking.” Metro stations needs to be transformed into multi-modal hubs and buzzing commercial spaces for all age groups, he felt.
Vikram Rai, General Secretary, Bangalore Apartments’ Federation, another prominent campaigner for public transport, said, “Metro is going to emerge as the backbone and will anchor the public transport scene in Bengaluru. We have 1,250 associations in our fold with 3 lakh members. I have personally benefited enormously as I use the Metro from my residence in JP Nagar, and I make it a point to popularise it among all our associations. In fact, I meet people only near a Metro station these days to ensure a comfortable Metro commute for all.”
Suburban Rail could take 10L people off roads
The Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) is a major infrastructure project that could change the way citizens commute when it is completed. A top official of the agency implementing the Rs 15,767-crore project, Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited (K-RIDE) told TNIE, “When the 147.17-km project is fully ready, it will considerably reduce traffic in the city as it will carry at least 10 lakh passengers in its four-corridor network. Along with the over 10 lakh passengers that Metro would be carrying by then, the two transportation systems would have taken away roughly 20 lakh people off the roads. The project is being jointly done by the State government and Railways.
The deadline specified by the Railways is 2026, while state Infrastructure Minister MB Patil felt that BSRP could be in place by 2028. Another source said, “While there is so much expense and focus on the Metro in the state, the Suburban Rail project would be completed much faster if it gets just 50 per cent of the interest.”
However, actual construction work on much of the project has not even begun. The 25.57-km Baiyappanahalli-Chikkabanavara line (known as Corridor-2) is the only one for which the civil works contract has been awarded, and work has commenced. Tenders for building its 12 stations, and a decision on awarding Corridor-4, running 48km between Rajanakunte and Heelalige, to Larsen & Tourbo Ltd, the lowest bidder, is likely to be finalised by the K-RIDE Board on Monday (October 16).