Marking a new era
On Thursday, the City will wake up to embrace the Reach-1 of Namma Metro between Baiyappanahalli and MG Road.
Although the desired effect of decongesting the clogged roads of Bangalore will not be achieved with this teaser of a service from the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), it will mark a new era people might not want to miss being a part of. Past midnight excited passersby swarmed the station, clicking away pictures of the illuminated facade.
Madhusudan, a resident of Malleswaram, said he had already decided to take a ride on the Metro rail on Thursday. “I know I cannot use the train services daily, but I will make sure I do it every time it’s possible,” he said.
The project will be flagged off at 10.30 am by Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath in the presence of Railway Minister Dinesh Trivedi and Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda.
This will be followed by a public function at the Manekshaw Parade Grounds at 11.30 am and the services will finally be thrown open to the public at 4 pm.
The 6.7-km-long Reach-1 with six stations is a part of Namma Metro Phase 1 with a route network of 42.3 km on the East-West (Baiyappanahalli-Mysore Road Terminal) and North-South (Hesaraghatta Cross-Puttenahalli Cross) corridors with 41 stations. Phase 1 also has 8.88-km underground network on these two corridors with eight stations. BMRCL officials claim the execution of civil works was speedy. “We are ahead of even the most advanced countries in completing the civil works,” an official said.
Stating that the DMRCL had taken five-and-a-half years to open its first stretch, the official said the Corporation was opening Reach 1 within four-and-a-half years, despite facing legal hurdles in property acquisition.
Penalties and fines
Offences Penalties
Entry/exit mismatch Rs10
Travelling without ticket Rs 50
Overstay in paid area Rs 10
beyond permissible limits per hour (max: Rs 50)
Unauthorised sale/resale of tickets Rs 500
Carrying token without depositing it at the exit gate Rs 200
* Luggage barriers
A passenger will not be allowed entry into the swanky, light metro coaches if he/she is carrying heavy luggage. For, the rule prohibits baggage weighing more than 15 kg.
The draft Bangalore Metro Rail (Carriage and Ticket) Rules 2010 limit the weight of personal baggage to 15 kg. According to Rule 3: “No person shall, while travelling in metro train, carry with him any goods other than a small baggage containing personal belongings not exceeding 60 cm by 45 cm by 25 cm in size and 15 kg in weight, except with the prior approval of the metro railway administration.”
* No littering
Citing that dumping stuff at the Metro stations raise security concerns, the BMRCL is strict about littering. That there will be no litter bins in any of the stations indicates the seriousness. And in case commuters can’t resist littering, they will have to cough up anything between Rs 500 and Rs 1,000.
* No explosives
The rules also restrict carrying explosive substances, gases, petroleum and other inflammable liquids, inflammable solids and poisonous substances.
* Ill-equipped for the ill?
Among other restrictions would be that those suffering from any infectious disease are barred from boarding Namma Metro. The diseases listed under Rule 7 include: chicken pox, cerebro-spinal meningitis, cholera, diphtheria, measles, mumps, scarlet fever, typhus fever, typhoid fever, whooping cough and chikungunya.
* Tourist tickets
Bangalore Metro will also issue tourist tickets, valid for a limit period, besides tickets for unlimited journeys and limited journeys. Initially, integrated Metro-bus tickets will be issued in human-readable format.
