Namma Metro opening smooth, but some pain points remain

Namma Metro may have fully operationalised its 43.45-km Purple Line, but some pain points remain at a few stations. 

The lack of a foot overbridge at the KR Pura metro station is one of them. Passengers have to cross the ever-busy Old Madras Road to access the metro station. Presently, traffic police stop vehicular movement to facilitate pedestrian crossing. 

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is building a skywalk to connect the concourse of the KR Pura metro station with the other side of the road. A foundation has been dug up for the landing of the skywalk near the parking lot of the KR Puram railway station. Soon, the skywalk will be extended to the concourse of the metro station. 

The skywalk construction will take months as it will also connect the metro station under Phase 2A and 2B (Silk Board Junction-KR Pura-Airport). At Challaghatta, only one entrance was open (towards Mysuru Road), confusing passengers. A BMRCL employee at the station said the second entrance (towards Challaghatta) would open soon. 

Glitches were seen at other stations, too. From Majestic, some trains went only up to MG Road during the morning rush hour. Passengers had to board another train to continue their journey towards Whitefield. 

The decision to fully operationalise the Purple Line on a day’s notice also contributed to some confusion. Many passengers were oblivious to the development, especially at Baiyappanhalli. 

While most of them hailed the decision that reduces travel hassles for those travelling from the city centre to the IT hub and vice versa, they felt the authorities could have informed the public in advance. 

Station name confusion

Prasanna, a passerby at the Benniganahalli metro station, took exception to the naming of the station as Benniganahalli, saying Tin Factory would have been a better name. Staff manning ticket counters seemed clueless when passengers sought tickets to Tin Factory.

The closed entrance at the Challaghatta station.