Going on a fast track

Easy way

Taking a ride on the Metro Rail has become a pastime of sorts for many Bangaloreans. People come from different parts of the City to explore places, shop, eat and sometimes, just to take a joyride. 

Those from Byappanahalli, for instance, sometimes hop on to the Metro for a quick lunch at any of the restaurants on M G Road and those from Indiranagar come all the way to Byappanahalli to while away their time.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) officials say M G Road, Indiranagar and Byapanahalli stations have registered the maximum number of passengers since the Metro was inaugurated on October 20, 2011.

There are people who live in and around Kolar Gold Fields and Krishnarajapuram who take the Metro from  Byappanahalli station to M G Road, either to pass time or shop. Some from Indiranagar too travel to M G Road on work or to eat out. People say the Metro Rail is the cheapest and the best option of transport available.

B L Y Chavan, chief public relations officer of BMRCL, says, “A lot of people from Byappanahalli and Indiranagar come to M G Road. The Metro Rail has become a popular option for most travellers.”

Ravi Prakash, Manager, Public Relations points out that the Metro Rail has been registering a steady rise in passengers since its inception. “There hasn’t been any drop in the number of people buying tickets from Byappanahalli, Indiranagar and MG Road stations, the ridership has only increased. The commercial establishments in and around these areas attract a lot of people,” explains Ravi. 

According to the statistics available with BMRCL, the ridership at Byapanahalli, Indiranagar and M G Road has been increasing and those at Trinity Circle, Ulsoor and Swami Vivekananda have seen a moderate rise.

Between October 20, 2011 and February 19, 2012, the M G Road Station had 13,60,091 passengers on the Metro, which is about 8,000 passengers per day. Byappanahalli has had 12,42,904 passengers till date and about 8,000 per day.
 
Indiranagar has had 3,99,063 and about 5,000 people travel on the Metro every day. The Ulsoor Station has had 1,73,427, Swami Vivekananda Station 98,759 and Trinity Circle 20,8,246. All these stations register about 2,000 or more passengers a day. Chumdemo Shitio, an IT professional moved to Bangalore from Nagaland 10 years ago.

He lives in the eastern part of the City and says the Metro doesn’t help him on a daily basis. But he says he takes it often from Byappanahalli to M G Road just to hang out and maybe to shop, “The Metro helps you avoid traffic till M G Road. If I take my car, finding a parking space on MG Road is another nightmare,” says Chumdemo.

Anish David, another software professional, confesses that he has explored almost all the restaurants in Indiranagar, thanks to the Metro.

“I always take the Metro from M G Road to Indiranagar to have lunch, dinner and sometimes for shopping purposes too. It’s convenient, faster and cheaper than taking an auto,” he says.

 Himanshu Sachan, a professional, says in an effort to save time, he took the Metro recently from Indiranagar to M G Road.

“I had to pick up something from ‘G K Vale’ and then go to a bank. I had very little time and the Metro seemed like the best option. We finished our work in 20 minutes and got back to work, without wasting too much time,” he sums up.