JOIN USFirst run a hit as riders did not want to miss honour
There was much excitement at the Magadi Road metro station as commuters made a beeline for tickets ahead of the first commercial service between Magadi Road and Mysuru Road on Wednesday. According to officials, a total of 4,514 commuters travelled in the trains from both ends on this stretch on the first day.
The trains were operated between 4 pm and 10 pm. The total number of trips made was 24 at 15-minute intervals. BMRCL earned Rs 75,200 from ticket sales on Day One.
There were several “regulars” for the first journey on the newly launched line. These were commuters who have made it a point to travel in the first train when every stretch of Metro is inaugurated.
The first person to buy the ticket was Mohan Kamat from Kirloskar Colony.
“I have been coming for the last two days to enquire about the first ride on this stretch. I did not want to miss the first ride,” he said.
Ananth and his son Pushkar were two other passengers who made it for the first ride. “When the Mantri Square Sampige Station-Peenya stretch was thrown open to public, we were the first ones to buy tickets. We made it a point not to miss the ride today,” Ananth told Deccan Herald.
Narayanappa, an auto driver from Kengeri, had travelled all the way to Magadi Road station for the occasion. Narayanappa travelled till Mysuru Road and back by the train.
“The ticket price is very reasonable. If the whole stretch (purple line) is completed, it will help reduce a lot of traffic,” he added.
This line, once complete, will be crucial for those travelling to High Court and Vidhana Soudha. The stretch that has been thrown open to public at present also helps students as there are several schools on this route, BMRCL General Manager (Finance) Vasanth Rao said. Further, there is a five-acre space to spare at the Mysuru Road station which is open for commercial purposes and where, eventually, adequate parking arrangements can be made. Even now, there is space for parking in all the stations on the stretch, Rao said. The entire stretch from Baiyappanahalli to Mysuru Road is likely to be open for service after January 2016.
There are four women train operators for this stretch. One among them is 23-year-old Manjula from Ballari. She holds a Diploma in Engineering and this is her first job. “There are four of us women here. I hail from a farmer’s family in Ballari. I am the only one to have studied engineering in my family. I was preparing for a few exams after diploma and came to know that they had called for applications for this post. I immediately applied,” she said.
Train timings
BMRCL said trains will run from 6 am to 10 pm between November 19 and 22. From November 23 to 29, the services on both Reach 1 and 2 will be from 8 am to 8 pm, due to oscillation trials of trains between Cubbon Park and Magadi Road. This will continue for five days, after which the train will operate between 6 am and 10 pm.