The ridership in Namma Metro hit a new high of 4.36 lakh on Tuesday. More than 2.38 lakh people travelled in the Purple Line (Baiyappanahalli to Mysuru Road) and 1.98 lakh in the Green Line (Nagasandra to Yelachenahalli).
Earlier records in terms of ridership were set on Mondays. On August 20, a Monday, BMRCL had set the previous record in ridership of 4.28 lakh.
A senior BMRCL official said, “Ridership was high in the morning. As Monday was a bandh day, people may have come back to the city on Tuesday after a long weekend. On Tuesday, we had operated 181 trips on the east-west line to clear the rush. Usually, we operate 170 trips per day.”
Though the increasing number of passengers is a positive sign for the BMRCL, demand from passengers to induct more six-coach trains to clear the rush during peak hours has increased. The BMRCL is expected operate one more six-coach train in a month’s time. Currently, only one six-coach car is operated on the Purple Line.
Passengers also said the lack of feeder services at metro stations, or their low frequency, also has to be addressed. On social media, people have asked for bus services from stations like Balagangadharanatha Swamiji Hosahalli station to Rajajinagar, which help passengers avoid going to Majestic Metro station for interchange.
Though the BMTC operates feeder service from some metro stations, it is getting favourable response only at a few, like S.V. Road Metro station and Baiyappanahalli.
