From this Sunday, Namma Metro will see a surge in ridership with the number of commuters going up from the present two lakh to close to five lakh when the entire Green Line is thrown open to the public. However, commuters are worried about more than just the impending rush on the trains.
Right from queues at the security and baggage check, to the ticket counters and escalators/elevators, citizens are questioning if the overall infrastructure would be able to handle the huge number of people, especially on the existing routes.
For instance, residents of Indiranagar have repeatedly raised the issue of the number of vehicles parked near the station after the metro line started. “Apart from these vehicles, even cabs and autorickshaws crowd the space around the station. Now that the north-south line is going to be thrown open, we expect the situation to worsen,” said a resident.
Even at stations where there is dedicated parking, such as Nayandanahalli station, regular metro users said the space is not enough. Some others said that parking rates at stations are not affordable to all, such as at Baiyapanahalli.
Parking congestion at Majestic?
The question of parking becomes vital at the Kempegowda Metro Station, where the Purple and Green Lines meet. On Thursday, after Chief Minister Siddaramaiah inspected the station, curious passengers wanted to know where they can park vehicles from June 18. “No one knows where it is,” said S. Anuj, a passenger at the station.
BMRCL officials, however, said that they might use the parking lot of the BMTC, KSRTC or the Krantiveera Sangoli Rayanna railway station.
Are facilities inside stations sufficient?
Commuters are fretting over the situation within the stations too, especially during peak hours. “Several times, the escalators do not work. Middle-aged and elderly people are forced to take a long flight of stairs,” said R. Vijay, who travels from Mysuru Road towards M.G. Road.
Regular Namma Metro users also pointed to the existing number of exit and entry gates on which tokens or metro cards are used. “During peak hours, we are forced to wait for a long time to place our tokens on the gates. In the coming days, we fear the wait will be more, as the crowd will increase while the infrastructure is the same,” said Mr. Vijay.
Meanwhile, BMRCL officials said that everything is in place to handle the crowd. “We are also getting more baggage scanners. We are not borrowing them. We will be using our own equipment,” said an official.
CM travels by Metro
On Thursday around 5.30 p.m, Chief Minister Siddaramiah travelled by the Green Line from Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Station to R.V. Road Station and back. He visited all the four levels in Kempegowda station along with Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra and KPCC working president Dinesh Gundu Rao.
