JOIN USIf there is one sure-shot way to decongest Bengaluru's hyper-clogged roads, it had to be a full-fledged, fast, dependable suburban rail system. For years, the collective voice of the city's commuters hit a stone-wall. But the recent approval for conversion of 15 short-distance trains into mainline electrical multiple units (MEMU) rakes might just be the start it needs.
Thousands of commuters depend on packed, often irregular passenger and express trains to reach their workplaces in the city from houses miles away from Bengaluru. These MEMU rakes should make a big difference to them.
Here’s why: By design, MEMUs are faster and hold much more people than conventional trains. Although the maximum seating capacity is 48, the spacious interiors allow much more standing space. It is estimated that a MEMU with 12 coaches can carry about 3,000 passengers, a thousand more than regular trains.
Saving time
Since these trains are electrified with engines on either side, there is no need to reverse the trains. Such reversals often take about 30 to 45 minutes at the Bengaluru City railway station. The saved time would mean introduction of additional services.
Effectively, 15 short-distance passenger trains will require nine MEMU rakes. But these will not come in a hurry. The Railways is expected to provide two rakes in the current financial year, and the remaining seven during 2018-19.
The first rake is proposed to be introduced between Whitefield and Baiyappanahalli. But it would make more sense if this were to be extended to Banaswadi or Hebbal railway stations, as urban rail analyst, Sanjeev Dyamannavar put it. Extension till Yeshwantpur terminal might not be feasible as that station is already congested.
The second, third and fourth rakes will replace the existing conventional trains. This would boost the capacity of these trains, besides freeing up platforms at the City railway station. Eventually, the 15 MEMUs will run on the Bengaluru-Bangarpet, Bengaluru-Mysuru and Bengaluru-Hindupur routes.
More dependable
Faster, dependable MEMUs on the Bengaluru-Bangarpet sector should bring cheers to several IT employees, who take the rail route to Whitefield from City Railway Station and Baiyappanahalli. Although they complain about the nearly one-km walk from the Hoodi station to ITPL, increased frequency of trains could bring some respite.
Prashanth H M, a Vijayanagar resident, takes the Metro till Baiyappanahalli and hops on to the Arakkonam passenger to get to Hoodi. “I used to take two hours coming by the car. It used to be tiring. Train is better now, although I have to walk 20 minutes from the Hoodi station,” he says. DH caught up with him and many others aboard a passenger train on the return trip from Hoodi to Baiyappanahalli.
Punctuality issues
For Pavan Mirajkar, an ITPL employee, the rail commute from his house near Kengeri to Hoodi station takes just 40 minutes. “I board at around 7.50 am and reach Hoodi by 8.10 am. But the train is not always on time. If they increase the number of trains, reliability will definitely increase,” he points out.
Most of the inter-city trains are not punctual, complains Chethana Hiremath, a Basaveswaranagar resident who commutes to Whitefield daily. “A Metro station at ITPL is a distant dream. We often walk on the track from Hoodi station towards ITPL, which is risky. There are no proper roads even to walk,” she says.
Low priority
Train delays are attributed to priority given for inter-state express trains. Mobility experts contend that it should be the other way around. Local trains should travel on time. Says Harsha Hegde, a Mahalakshmipuram resident who travels daily to Whitefield: “We have the tracks and stations to run both. The facilities are not utilised optimally. On Mondays and Fridays, the delays get really bad.”
Frequent delays had forced commuters on the Hosur line to take the protest route recently. On July 18, hundreds of passengers blocked the Yeshwantpur-Hosur train for over two hours at Baiyappanahalli A Cabin halt station. The train, which departs Yeshwantpur at 6.30 am, had arrived only at 7.30 am, instead of the scheduled 7.05 am. Many commuters, who would alight at Heelalige station to travel the six-km distance to Electronics City, had been reporting late for work.
A week earlier, the angry commuters had stopped the Hosur-Yeshwantpur train at Anekal Road station for more than an hour. Their grouse: The train had reached almost 50 minutes late.