Namma Metro ridership falls nearly 50% on polling day

Metro ridership fell almost 50 per cent on polling day.

Metro trains carried 3,03,845 people on the Purple (Kengeri-Baiyappanahalli) and Green (Nagasandra-Silk Institute) lines until 9.30 pm on Wednesday. The KR Pura-Whitefield line carried another 12,395 people in the same period, said an official from Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL).

The average daily ridership on the Purple and Green lines is 5.85 lakh. The Whitefield metro line carries another 30,000 people.

The frequency of metro trains on election day remained five minutes during peak hours and 7-10 minutes during non-peak hours. On the Whitefield line, trains run every 12 minutes.

Metro trains ran until midnight on polling day. The last train from the terminal stations (Baiyappanahalli, Nagasandra, Silk Institute, Kengeri, Whitefield, and KR Pura) departed at 12.05 am on May 11. The last metro train from Majestic was at 12.35 am on May 11 towards Baiyappanahalli, Nagasandra, Silk Institute and Kengeri.

On other days, the last metro train from the terminal stations departs at 11 pm.

The BMRCL hopes the extended timings will boost ridership numbers, which will be revealed on Thursday morning.