Namma Metro: 22 minutes on the Purple line

  A long cherished dream.. to see the Bengaluru Metro rail @ Namma Metro running its commercial operations through the Underground Section between MG Road and Magadi Road stations, thus connecting the missing segment of the East - West Purple line in Phase 1. It was opened for commercial operations yesterday (Apr 30, 2016). Like any other Bangalorean, I was also thrilled to take a ride on the Metro and get a feel of the new Underground section.

Being a Sunday, I decided to go and try it today. My actual plan was to travel the full Purple line - from Baiyyappanahalli to Mysore Road station and then return. In a last minute change of plans (due to some relatives visiting my place) I had to reduce my trip time and I traveled between Indiranagar Metro and Majestic (Kempegowda) stations.

The Indiranagar Metro station which usually wears a deserted look on a Sunday afternoon was busy. There were lot of people waiting for tickets. To add the woes, there was only one ticket counter which was open. Since I was not sure about the fares to the new stations, I also stood in the queue to recharge my Metro Travel Card (cost 50₹). It took me 10 minutes to reach the counter. Recharged the card and proceeded towards to the platform. As soon as I reached the platform a train towards the Mysore road arrived. It was almost full. More people squeezed into it from Indiranagar. The train was full. Yes, it was the first time in last 5 years.. that I was traveling in Namma Metro without sufficient space even to stand. The train reached MG road in approx ten minutes. The most awaited stretch was beginning.. The train crossed Anil Kumble Circle and started to descent. It entered the tunnel within few seconds and the excitement was visible in the faces of the passengers - majority of whom were the first time passengers in the new underground section.

The tunnels are not fully dark, they are lit on one side. The train reached Cubbon Park station and it was looking really good. But the shine was missing in the stations that followed since there are some more work to be completed in those stations. The platforms at Cubbon Park, Vidhana Soudha and Sir M Visvesvaraya stations are on the Right side. At Kempegowda station, the platform is on the left. The train took just 22 minutes to reach Kempegowda Metro station (Situated under the old Inter-State Bus Stand at Majestic). I got down and walked around a bit in the platforms to get a feel of the new station. Then climbed the long and tall steps towards the concourse. Escalator was there, but I decided to climb :). Swiped my card at the exit gate after a bit of waiting and it blinked 18.50 or 18.60.. (this is fare after 15% discount for the card). So for almost the same fare of a ordinary BMTC bus, I reached Majestic in an air conditioned metro train that too in less than half the time what the bus usually takes (45-50 minutes in non peak hours). That's just Awesome!

Routes from Majestic / Kempegowda Metro station

Next time when my friend who lives in Vijayanagar invites me to his home for lunch or dinner, I need not find an excuse to skip it due to the 2 hour ordeal I have to face on the road while driving. I can take a metro and cross the city to reach Vijayanagar in 30 minutes.. what a welcome change!! **Happy**

 

**Update** 03 May 2016

Monday evening I had to go to Bengaluru City Railway Station to receive a relative who was visiting us. Without second thoughts, I took a metro from Indiranagar station at 7:35 PM. The 'Tourist" crowd was missing, therefore entering the train was not difficult. The train was full, but there was some space available for standing. Till the train reached Vidhana Soudha, more and more passengers kept boarding the train but the number of people who got down was less. It is a proof of the fact that long distance travelers and passengers who want to travel to the other end of the city have started using the metro line on the first working day after its inauguration itself.

Compared to Sunday, this Monday evening run was quick. This train reached Majestic (Kempegowda) station in 16 minutes and only 18 minutes to reach City Railway Metro station from Indiranagar. I was new to this area - City Railway Metro station. It has 2 exits. One towards Magadi Road and another to the City Railway station. The exit at the City Railway station end opens to a narrow road behind the City Railway station. This narrow street is not well lit and looked deserted even at 8 PM. There is some construction going on. That looks like a Ramp being built to connect the Bengaluru City Metro and Railway stations. Hopefully that ramp should help passengers to avoid that narrow and deserted road. Till then this metro station / road is worth avoiding.

Another issue is, there is no ticket counter at the rear end of the City Railway station - where Metro station is situated - for buying platform / passenger tickets. On a day when your luck is really bad, be ready to be caught by the ticket examiners when you are walking towards the other side of the Railway station for purchasing the ticket. next time If I am going to City Railway station, I will get down at Kempegowda Metro and walk towards the City Railway station - till the ramp construction is completed and a Railway ticket counter is setup here. Else there is no use of this so called City Railway "Metro" station.

Listing down a few things which I felt which was good, bad and that can be improved about the Metro Service.

 

 

Positives:

 

• Time saving - The best advantage of the metro is the time it is going save for the public. There is no other  alternative than Metro for traveling within the City without the fear of traffic blocks.

• Neatness - Even after 5 years of operations of the Phase 1, the coaches, stations and the platforms look neat. A major positive by Indian standards.

• Less Pollution -  The current 3 car train can easily accommodate 250 passengers. Even if it helps to keep 100 vehicles off the roads, that will help to reduce the emission and reduce air and sound pollution in the City.

To improve:

 

• Ticketing - Even after starting the full operations on Purple line, many stations are having a single ticket counter. Causing much delay in getting a ticket. Ten minutes at ticket counter for a ten minutes travel is not acceptable.

• Queue system - Unless forced to stand in a queue, we Indians will never stand in a queue. This is exactly the problem at metro stations now. No railings or ropes at counters. Everyone wants ticket first. Chaos at Peak time!

  

  Crowd at Kempegowda station ticket counter, on Sunday

• ₹ Change - Another reason for slow ticketing is that everyone is flashing a 500₹ note at the ticketing counter. Though the Metro cannot do much about this, this remains as a challenge to be addressed.
  
  Tip: If you want to skip the queue, an easy work around could be buying the metro card - the fee of 50₹  will break even in 7-8 trips with the 15% discount the card offers

 

• Frisking and Luggage scanning - Every station has mandatory frisking and Luggage scanning. Good for Security. But.. there is not enough security staff to do the checks and there is plenty of space on the sides so that if someone wishes to.. can skip these 2 steps and board the train. The crowd must be squeezed through the security check area. More scanners are needed. Security guards simply looking into the bags at the stations where scanners are not functioning is not really going to help.

• Sound of the Whistle - If you ask me what is that one thing which I find irritating at the Bengaluru Metro ever since it started operations, I can answer it without any doubts. The continuous sound of Whistles at the platform.

  

  Crowded Platforms

  There is nothing more irritating that this. Most of the platforms on the elevated section are approximately 5 feet wide and half of it marked as "No Standing" zone to keep the passengers away from the rails. When such a narrow platform is crowded, passengers don't have a choice but to walk through the section marked with the yellow line. The next moment we can hear a series of whistles.
  
  
  If Metro authorities wants to keep people away from tracks, they should put barricades at all platforms by leaving gaps only at the places where the door opens (which is usually the same spot for every train) similar to what they have placed in new stations and for heaven's sake - stop the Whistles.

 

Barricades at new stations

Negatives:

• Escalator and lifts - One thing common with all the metro stations - Pathetic design. Makes people walk a lot. A rapid transport system should help people to move quickly - Not just on the tracks, but on the station and platforms also. Most of the stations doesn't have an escalator for descending - even at stations with plenty of space (Example: M G Road station, on Boulevard side). People are forced to walk down from the platform. Since we cannot expect everyone to walk at the same speed, it causes 'traffic jam' at the steps and this is definitely a pain point. Lifts are there at most stations, but are not easily accessible at many stations. At some stations, Platform to Concourse lift is in one corner and Concourse to ground floor is at the exact opposite corner. Such a pathetic design. The Senior citizens who can walk around but not for too long or the who are not comfortable with steps are finding this difficult. Metro cannot be only for the active office goers. It should be friendly to Senior Citizens and Children too.
  
  Imagine passengers walking down the steps for another 50 feet from Purple line to Green line at Kempegowda station interchange. It is going to be tedious.

Kempegowda Station - Now escalator towards platform

• Streamlining the crowd movement - Many stations are not designed in such a way that a passenger who is new to the place follows a line / direction and reaches the platform without losing the way. The ticket counters are in one corner and the luggage scanners are in another corner. The entry gates are somewhere else. A perfect setup of more Chaos during rush hour.

• Exit gates - Most of the stations have 4 or 5 exit gates - to drop/swipe the ticket and go out of the station. Some stations have only 2 or 3 exit gates. At peak hours, especially when we don't have the habit of following a queue - this makes you wait to get out of the station. Another issue with the gates is that, the coin should be inserted without going close to the gates. There is a sensor. Many of the passengers who are new to Metro are yet to get the knack of this, thus adding to the delays.

• Parking - Considering the fact that the Metro is passing thru some areas where parking space cannot be even dreamed of, Metro should use its space effectively at stations outside the main city to enable parking of vehicles. With the proposed frequency, the BMTC feeder services are not going to be really effective or helpful. Only if there is parking space available, the public who stay away from the metro stations will be able to use the Metro effectively. For example, the parking space at Swami Vivekananda Road looks haunted even at 7pm. In the eastern side, only Baiyyappanahalli station has a decent parking facility.

This post is written based on my experience and knowledge. I might be wrong at certain places. Corrections / Suggestions / Criticisms are welcome :)