Metrolife: On Metro, commuters drenched, miserable

It's raining and more people are boarding the trains

With the city witnessing showers almost every evening, many office-goers are giving autos and buses a go-by and taking the Metro. As a result, the trains are more crowded than ever before.

People are packed into the coaches. Many commuters are drenched and carry wet raincoats, umbrellas and bags.

Monita C, student interning at an advertising agency, takes the Metro from Trinity Circle to Jayanagar almost every day. “I finish work by 6 pm and the Metro gets me home by 7 pm. But since the trains are so crowded, I now end up waiting for a long time for the rush to subside,” she says.

Commuters who carry laptops in backpacks have their own worries. Jessie, a techie, says, “We have absolutely no space to stand and we keep our bags between our legs. Given the rains and the drenched passengers, I’m worried about what the water might do to the laptop.”

She finds it difficult to switch trains at the Kempegowda station, where she says the crowds mill around like crazy.

Kumar, software engineer, says, “We wait for seven to eight minutes every evening for the Metro to arrive Yelachenahalli. The coaches are always packed, and senior citizens are also pushed around the crowd.” He suggests increasing the frequency of trains. The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) had promised three additional coaches by the end of March, and then pushed the deadline to June.

In numbers

Regular daily ridership on the Metro: 3.6 lakh passengers.

In the last two weeks, regular daily ridership on the Metro: Close to 4 lakh passengers.