BENGALURU: The much-awaited launch of the Green Line extension from Madavara to Nagasandra had an awkward beginning on Thursday, with not a single passenger aboard the first train departing from Madavara station at 5 a.m.
The maiden train, which left from Platform 2, had only a lone security staffer to welcome any potential passengers.
The second trip saw a slight improvement, with two passengers on board. However, the patronage gradually increased as the day progressed. By the time the first train terminated at Madavara, 15 passengers had boarded.
By 7 p.m., a total of 11,093 people had used the new extension, which includes three stations: Chikkabidarakallu, Manjunatha Nagara, and Madavara.
The sluggish start could have been attributed to the sudden announcement made on Wednesday about the launch of Reach-3C the following morning. Many of the early travellers were unaware of the launch and decided to board the trains after finding out about the service by chance.
Auditor Lakshmi Narasimhaiah was the first passenger to board the second train from Madavara. On his way to Tin Factory, from where he planned to catch a bus to Kolar for work, he expressed his excitement: “I am the first passenger to use the train, and I am really happy about that. I no longer need to travel to Nagasandra to use the Metro. I will become a regular traveller."
Residents of the sprawling Prestige Jindal City complex were also delighted to have a station closer to home. Bheemesh Ganekar, a resident who boarded the train at Chikkabidarakallu, said, “I have been waiting for months to avail this facility. I am extremely happy.”
C.P. Nataraj, a former Gram Panchayat member from Madanayakanahalli, visited Madavara station not to travel but to check firsthand if the trains were really operational. “The completion of this stretch was delayed by four years. After it was ready, the opening of the station was also delayed. I did not come to travel today, but to verify if they had really begun operations. I will either walk down or bring my two-wheeler to this station to take the Metro instead of driving all the way to Nagasandra."
Among the passengers on the first train, which terminated at Madavara, were H.R. Giridhar, his wife Thejaswini, and their five-year-old daughter Pragna.
Giridhar said, “We are returning from Tirupati this morning and had no idea that operations had begun today. We were assuming we had to get off at Nagasandra and struggle to find a cab or auto to get home. It was such a lovely surprise to learn that we could take the train all the way to Madavara now.”
B.L. Yashavanth Chavan, Chief Public Relations Officer of BMRCL, confirmed that by 7 p.m., 11,093 people had accessed the three new stations. “There were 6,032 total entries and 5,061 exits from these stations,” he said.
A senior Metro official added that passenger numbers would likely increase as awareness about the new service spreads among local residents.
