The timings of a proposed train between Whitefield and Banaswadi have left commuters livid.
According to a press release, South Western Railway (SWR) will be launching a diesel–electric multiple unit (DEMU) between Whitefield and Banaswadi with halts at Hoodi, K.R. Puram, and Byappanahalli. While Bengaluru Central MP P.C. Mohan claimed in a social media post that the train would be inaugurated on February 3, the SWR release did not specify a date for induction.
The six-coach train, as many have pointed out, heads in the direction contrary to traffic movement. The train leaves Whitefield at 7.50 a.m. and arrives at Banaswadi at 8.30 a.m., at a time when most IT workers head towards Whitefield. In the evening, when the traffic piles towards the city, the train leaves Banaswadi at 6.25 p.m. and arrives at Whitefield at 7.20 p.m.
The timings have found ridicule online, with many saying the trains will run empty. However, Sanjeev Dyamanavar from the citizens’ group Praja, who is a proponent for the suburban rail system, said the trains could cater to a small population that does travel to the core areas of the city for work. “There is some traffic out of Whitefield during peak hours, and with a stop at Byappanahalli, it will give people access to the metro system. In a suburban system, we need trains in both directions. However, the urgent demand for an evening train out of Whitefield has been ignored,” he said.
‘No’ to extension
Rail activists met SWR officials on Wednesday with the demand that the train service be extended till Hebbal or Yeshwantpur or even Yelahanka. However, authorities cited infrastructure problems that curb extension of this train.
Railway officials, who admit that the new short-distance line may not see patronage, said it was “impossible” to run trains on peak hours on this line as it was “saturated”. “We can’t run any more trains from Whitefield to the city in the evening or the other way round in the morning. But, we hope this train may be useful for those who work in night shifts in Whitefield and need to return home in the city in the morning,” said an official, who pointed to “political compulsions” as one of the reasons for running more trains despite doubts over its patronage.
In the run-up to the Assembly elections, the SWR had introduced two trains from Banaswadi to Hosur in March 2018 in schedules that were out of sync with regular office commutes. The trains ran largely empty, and eight months ago, their operations were suspended. Operations resumed only in December-end.
By Wednesday, however, a SWR release stated that both the trains had been cancelled.
