Be warned: most Namma Metro stations will not have any toilets nor will all have parking space.
Only the underground and terminal stations will have toilets, and only the major stations will have parking facility.
What this means is that of the 41 stations in Phase I of Namma Metro (east-west corridor comprising 18.1 km and north-south comprising 24.2 km), only the eight underground stations will have toilets.
All this was disclosed by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) Managing Director N. Sivasailam in his interaction with the office-bearers of Residents Welfare Associations of Indiranagar here recently.
Terminal stations
While the terminal stations are located at Byappanahalli and Mysore Road on the east-west corridor, their north-south corridor counterparts are Peenya and R.V. Road.
Underground stations will come up at City Railway Station, Majestic (two stations at two levels at the corridors' intersection) Central College, Vidhana Soudha, Cricket Stadium, Chickpet and City Market.
On why toilets are not being provided at Indiranagar and M.G. Road stations, he said they are only meant to help passengers get to a destination.
But he did not have a reply when a senior citizen pointed out that public toilets were scarce in both Indiranagar and M.G. Road.
Mr. Sivasailam said only major stations would have parking facility. “Take a feeder bus and come to the nearest station,” he advised the gathering when they sought to know whether BMRCL would provide parking space. He said parking for everyone was an impossibility, adding that the idea of the metro is to popularise public transport and not encourage private vehicles. BMTC has promised to offer excellent feeder services within the catchment area of each station, which should be sufficient for the travelling public.
He said stations are being built as per specifications and ruled out big malls or shopping complexes inside them. However, utility services like ATMs and all-night drugstores will be encouraged.
