Teething trouble: First-day woes for Whitefield-KR Pura metro line

The Whitefield (Kadugodi)-KR Pura metro line encountered initial problems on the first day of its commercial launch.

A group of people gathered outside the Baiyappanahalli metro station on Old Madras Road on Sunday afternoon, hoping to catch one of the feeder buses to the KR Pura metro station. However, it appeared that no one had knowledge of the bus schedule or how often they ran.

As a result, people boarded whichever bus that stopped in the lane, supervised by a BMTC official. They learnt later that the overcrowded bus would drop them at Tin Factory, a kilometre away from the metro station.

“The conductor told me that the bus would go to the KR Pura station,” said Prajna, an engineering student. “But after a kilometre, he asked me to alight at Tin Factory and take another bus. What is the point in paying Rs 10 to go to the metro station if the bus was not going there?”

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Several buses passed by the Tin Factory bus stop, none indicated if they were feeder services to the KR Pura metro station. Frustrated riders boarded buses heading towards the KR Puram railway station hoping to get down at the metro.

The journey from the KR Pura metro station was not without trouble. Some exit gates faced issues, causing hold-ups that extended to the foot of the staircase leading to the platform.

People caught waiting for a bus outside the station were chased down the road by a police officer to a bus stop where hardly any bus stopped.

Riders walking out of the station frustratingly commented about the absence of buses, feeder or not. When a feeder bus came by after 20 minutes, passengers vied to board it.

Sundar, who works for a private firm at ITPL, was glad that the metro was operational but highlighted the absence of parking options at Hoodi.

“I had to park outside a restaurant further down the road because there is no parking facility at the station,” he said, adding that lack of last-mile connectivity might impact commute to and from the station.

First day, first trip

Rail enthusiasts K N Krishna Prasad and Lokesh M were among the passengers to board the first 7 am train from KR Pura to Whitefield (Kadugodi) for a round trip.

“It was a wonderful experience,” Prasad said. The first train carried 150 people, he added. Travellers were treated with roses.

Prasad said only one track is operational at Singayyanapalya and Garudacharpalya due to technical issues.

As per the clearance issued by the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS), trains shall be operated only on the downline between Garudacharpalya and KR Pura. Singayyanapalya is located in between.

Prasad urged the metro authorities to speedily complete the 2.1-km Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura line so that people can fully reap the benefits of the Whitefield line.

Ridership report

Nearly 30,000 people travelled on the Whitefield metro on the first day of its commercial operations, according to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). As many as 27,379 people took the metro on the line between 5 am and 11 pm, it said.