Techies oppose cancellation of two trains to IT corridor

Thousands of people working in IT companies will have to make alternate travel arrangements as the South Western Railway (SWR) has suspended two suburban trains, which were introduced in the start of March.

The two trains between Banaswadi and Hosur ran four trips per day. Some of the techies who spoke to DH said the cancellation has come even before the larger public came to know about the new trains.

SWR officials, who announced the temporary cancellation of trains on Twitter, cited track renewal and maintenance work between the Byappanahalli and Hosur section as the reason. "The trains will be cancelled for a period of five months, from May 26 to October 25," the message read.

Suhas Narayanamurthy, a software developer, noted that both the cancelled trains stopped at Byappanahalli, which provided for integration with Namma Metro.

"Despite requests, the railways did not extend the trains to Yeshwantpur. But hundreds of people travel in the metro to reach Byappanahalli and board a train to Heelalige and other areas. Now, they should at least ensure that the two Yeshwantpur-Hosur DEMU trains go via Byappanahalli," he said.

On the return direction, the 3.20 pm train from Hosur to Banaswadi had good ridership, ranging from 1,500 to 2,000 passengers as many in the IT sector complete their general shifts and return to the city in the late afternoon.

The morning train that leaves Banaswadi at 9.30 am and reaches Hosur at 11 am had limited ridership. The numbers were even lower for the return trip, as the train leaves at 11.15 am from Hosur.

"A request to run at least two trains has been submitted at the Carmelaram railway station. Considering the demand for trains towards Mysuru after 3 pm, the cancellation is a huge setback," said Dhananjay, a regular commuter.

Navin Kumar Patel, a resident of Bellandur, said increasing traffic congestion was already a daily affair due to the narrow roads and it will turn worse when more number of private vehicles hit the road.