Angry commuters block Yeshwantpur-Hosur Passenger train for two hours over delay

The Yeshwantpur-Hosur passenger train saw the second protest within a week as commuters travelling from Bengaluru blocked it protesting  “lack of punctuality” in the service.

Hundreds of passengers blocked the train (train number 06592) for more than two hours at Baiyappanahalli A Cabin halt station protesting against the delay and the regulation of the train due to crossing of express trains at the junction. The train, which leaves Yeshwantpur at 6.30 am reached Baiyappanahalli A Cabin at 7.30 am instead of the scheduled time of 7.05 am.

Agitated by frequent delays, passengers resorted to a flash protest stopping the train for two hours. The train could leave the station only at 9.30 am after the police dispersed protesters.

Passengers, a majority of them IT sector employees from northern parts of the city travelling to the IT belt in east Bengaluru, missed their log-in hours forcing them to protest. On an average 9,000 people travel by this train every day.

“Stopping the train is not a solution as it further delays the train and affects more people. But the railways has to understand that this is a crucial train used by thousands of people everyday and delays like these affect their lives. Steps should be taken to solve the problem,” said Suhas Narayana Murthy, a software engineer campaigning for more trains on the route.

Last Thursday, angry commuters blocked the train at Anekal Road station for more than an hour as the train coming from Hosur reached the station nearly 50 minutes late.

Urban transport expert Sanjeev Dyamannavar said the Hosur-Bengaluru line was part of suburban rail network and infrastructure of the line should be augmented at the earliest. “It will be difficult to improve services on this line if railways do not lay proper infrastructure and remove issues like gradients between Hosur and Baiyyappanhalli. Even doubling of Banaswadi-Bellandur line will boost the local train network,” he said.

Citizens of Bengaluru’s Srinivas Alavilli said running local trains on the Hosur line would help decongest traffic on the line. “Nearly six lakh people work around ORR and they come from all corners of the city. This makes Karmelaram one of the most critical stations and frequent services during morning and evening hours must be provided. The ORR corporates will be more than happy to run shuttles for last-mile connectivity,” he said.