Disruptions hit Metro's reliability, say commuters

 Glitches may cost the tag of reliability for Namma Metro if officials do not fix the problems at the earliest, opined commuters who suffered due to disruption of operations on Green Line on Sunday.

Pavan L Vasista, who had to board Lokamanya Tilak Express at 4 pm, said he would have missed his train if he trusted the Metro. “I left home around 2.30 pm and reached the Yelachenahalli station at 2.45 pm only to find that there were no trains. The ground staff had no information and issued the ticket (token) despite the disruption,” he said.

Reaching the platform, Vasista found that the train on the platform was grounded. “Those who got stuck inside were coming out of the loco pilot’s chamber. Yet, the staff assured us that all will be fine in a few minutes. I decided not to wait and came out of the station to book an auto,” he said.

Display boards

“Through friends in the media, I learnt that trains at the National College station were operating normally. When I reached there, the display boards in the station stopped working. It was such a tense time. Finally, when I reached the Kranthiveera Sangolli Rayanna station, it was 3.58 pm. The train left the moment I boarded,” he said, adding that three others who didn’t get alternative transport missed the train.

Many who suffered inconvenience expressed their frustration on Facebook and Twitter. “Metro stands apart from road transport because it follows a schedule and gives prior information about waiting time. Leaving  passengers stranded for half-an-hour without any information beats the whole purpose,” said Harsha Kumar who came out of JP Nagar Metro station.

Vasista suggested that Metro authorities should put a display board and make announcements about disruptions and delays. “If there is a disruption, they should simply stop issuing the tickets. That helps those in a hurry to look for an alternative,” he said.