A passenger census conducted by the South Western Railway (SWR) to assess the popularity of the suburban train services introduced in March to connect IT corridors in the city indicate that the Baiyappanahalli to KSR Bengaluru City train receives the highest patronage.
Of the eight trains introduced, four — operating between Banaswadi and Hosur — have been suspended for five months. SWR officials have given track maintenance as the reason, but passengers are unhappy with the decision.
As per the passenger census, the most popular service is the evening train operated between Baiyappanahalli and KSR Bengaluru City with an average of 284 passengers using it for their commute. However, this accounts for just 47% of the train’s total seating capacity of 610.
One of the trains between Banaswadi and Hosur — all four services have been suspended — had the least occupancy rate at 4% with only 26 passengers using the train regularly.
Regular commuters argue that if the timings of the services are synced with their work hours and the trains kept to their schedule, more people would use them for their daily commute.
“The evening train from Baiyappanahalli, which leaves around 6.45 p.m. for KSR Bengaluru City, gets a good response from the IT corridor because of its timing. If the SWR caters to the need of passengers during peak hours, more passengers will opt for the services. I have been a regular user of trains for the past two years. I tried all modes of transport — private vehicle, office cab, buses, train. Train service is the best,” said Shambhu Bhat, a software engineer who works in Whitefield and relies on the suburban network for his commute. He added that his travel expense has reduced drastically. “I purchase a three-month pass for Rs. 270-odd, which is far cheaper than any other mode of transport.”
Siddalingesh, another commuter, says, “Travelling to Whitefield by road is a nightmare. One undergoes a lot of stress because of the huge number of vehicles on the road, which also leads to health issues, like back pain. With the train service, that is no longer the case. I find the travel from Hoodi to Majestic far more relaxing. However, the train service should be more predictable. If trains run as per schedule, more passengers would use the services.”
Commuters seek reversal of suspension decision
Regular commuters are unhappy with the decision to suspend four train services between Banaswadi and Hosur. While officials cite track maintenance as the reason, passengers argue that it does not warrant stopping the services, albeit temporarily.
Sanjeev Dyamannavar, who has been fighting for a stronger commuter rail network in the city, said, “People are campaigning on social media to reverse the decision to suspend train services. Officials have various other options to carry out track renewal work, like cancelling train services on weekends, suspending services for a few days at a stretch and operating trains only during peak hours. The services were cancelled by the Railways when the patronage was stabilising. Moreover, there is no guarantee that they will be re-introduced after completion of the work as claimed by the SWR.”
Many citizens had also demanded that the subruban train services be extended to Yeshwantpur, as it will be benefit a large number of people, but railway authorities have expressed their inability to do so citing, among other reasons, unavailability of platforms.
A senior railway official said, “I feel that more awareness is required on the new services. I would say the response to the new services was picking up slowly. There are petitions for extending the service to other points, and increasing the frequency, but we have infrastructural constraints. We are working on how best we could augment available infrastructure.”
