BENGALURU: For citizens staying in South or West Bengaluru, metro connectivity to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) will not be as seamless as they imagine. They will have to change Metro lines at at least three stations to reach the airport with their luggage, which citizens and experts point will cause a lot of inconvenience.
That is not all, unlike other Indian or western cities, there is also no quick connectivity to the airport. Citing an example, Mukund Kumar, urban sustainability expert said, if a person is boarding a metro from Central Silk Board, he/she will have to travel through 30 stations to reach the airport. Hebbal to Airport, itself has 10 stations.
Citing the example of Delhi, Abhishek Mehra, a techie in a private firm said, in Delhi, people travel by Metro for long distances, but it is not as cumbersome as Bengaluru is. “In Delhi there is one Metro connecting the airport to the heart of the City, but going by the drawings and plan of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) commuters will have to change multiple lines before reaching the airport. Road travel looks like an easier option, though time-consuming and costly, but a convenient one,” he said.
Raj Duggar, from Citizens for Citizens said, a person travelling to the airport will surely have baggage. If it is with family, the luggage will be more. There is not sufficient space in the metro for people to keep their luggage. People are seen put to inconvenience everyday when they are boarding or deboarding for the railway station. A person will have to further stand for long distances to reach the airport. This is because the BMRCL is creating multiple points for the airport including Majestic, MG Road, Nagawara and Hebbal.
Duggar explained, a person taking the green line will have first change line at Majestic and then again from MG Road before reaching Hebbal to go to airport. Similar is the case with those on the purple line who will also have to hop station to station.
Reacting to this, a BMRCL spokesperson said, they were working as per the plan. Presently there is no such plan of one direct line to the airport, it is however being discussed if an arrangement from Kempapura can be done. “People need not worry. They will have to change stations for the airport line in the same building, which should not be a concern” the BMRCL team said.