Citing poor footfall and security reasons, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) is limiting access to several metro stations after 10 p.m.
Entry of passengers is allowed in one gate at metro stations such as Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha, K.R. Market, and National College after 10 p.m. BMRCL officials maintain that limiting access after 10 p.m. has made no impact on passenger.
However, regular users who depend on the metro to get home at night are unhappy with the decision. Pradeep, a regular commuter from Cubbon Park station to Majestic, said, “I started noticing that entry to the station from HAL office side is closed after 10 p.m. One has to go till the Cubbon Park entry point to get to the station. BMRCL has done this without informing passengers. They should at least put up a notice.”
One gate kept open
Ajay Seth, managing director of BMRCL, said only one gate is kept open after 10 p.m. in those stations that see fewer commuters at night.
Namma Metro is seeing increased ridership and has become the preferred choice of mass transit. “It is not only during the day that the train is full. Hundreds of people use the metro even after 10 p.m. The BMRCL should deploy the required number of staff and keep open all the gates,” said Vinay, a commuter.
A senior BMRCL official said limiting access does not inconvenience passengers. “This arrangement is done for only one hour before the closure of services.”
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