Whitefield line increases average daily Metro ridership by 80K and reduces traffic congestion by 14% in Bengaluru

 Whitefield line increases average daily Metro ridership by 80K and reduces traffic congestion by 14% in Bengaluru

Although the city's daily average ridership has topped 7 lakh, the lack of trains continues to be a problem.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) reports that the average daily passenger on the Namma Metro has grown by 80,000 as a result of the opening of Bengaluru's whole 43-km Purple Line, which connects Whitefield in the east to Challaghatta in the west.

The 2.1 km Byappanahalli-KR Pura and 2.05 km Kengeri-Challaghatta sections, which went into service on October 9, have seen a tremendous amount of traffic, according to BMRCL Managing Director Anjum Parwez, who spoke to Moneycontrol.

"The number of daily riders has now risen by 80,000. Our average daily traffic is 7 lakh," stated Parwez.

According to BMRCL figures obtained by Moneycontrol, daily Metro boarding rose from 5 lakh on October 2 to 6.80 lakh on October 9 and then to 7.50 lakh and 7.26 lakh on October 18. On October 1, there were 21,297 daily boarders in the KR Pura-Whitefield sector. By October 9, there were 61,179, 80,080, and 79,235. By October 11, there were 80,080.

Due to public pressure and an internet campaign, the two Metro sections opened for passenger services on October 9. On October 20, in the presence of the Karnataka Chief Minister, Prime Minister Narendra Modi formally dedicated these two parts to the country. At the Sahibabad RapidX station, Modi essentially declared this and the priority stretch of the Delhi-Ghaziabad-Meerut RRTS corridors open.

The first operational length of the Namma Metro, which runs for 6.7 kilometers from MG Road to Byappanahalli, was opened in 2011 and was celebrated on October 20.

On October 20, more people are anticipated to use the BMRCL, maybe as a result of weekend travel during the Australia-Pakistan World Cup cricket match. On August 15, 2022, following a Congress rally at the National College Campus in Basavanagudi and the Lalbagh flowers exhibition, the Metro registered its highest-ever day ridership of 8.2 lakh. During the event, the Congress bought over 1 lakh Metro passes.

According to Parwez, daily traffic will eventually reach the 8 lakh level, but for the time being, the average daily ridership would probably stay around 7 to 7.5 lakh. "The daily ridership to Whitefield from the metro has risen dramatically. The cheapest, quickest, and greenest means of transportation in the city is now Metro, he said.

The 13.7 km-long Whitefield-KR Pura Metro stretch was officially opened by Modi on March 25. Passengers have had major difficulties as a result of the missing connection between KR Pura and Byappanahalli since they have had to depend on feeder buses to get to the station.

Also see: A 60 rupee, 43-kilometer Metro journey from Bengaluru's IT hotspot Whitefield 

The Purple Line of the Bengaluru Metro connects Whitefield (Kadugodi) in East Bengaluru to Challaghatta in West Bengaluru over a distance of 43.49 km (37 Metro stops). After Delhi Metro's 350.2 km, the total Bengaluru Metro network spans 73.81 km and has 66 Metro stops, making it India's second-largest metro system.

Also read: Namma Metro on super-slo-mo track at 6 km/year

The projected travel time by Metro from Challaghatta in West Bengaluru by Whitefield in East Bangalore is around 82 minutes, and the end-to-end cost is set at Rs 60.

During peak hours, traffic on the Metro route was reduced by 12–14%, according to Bengaluru traffic police.

Since the Byappanahalli-KR Pura segment started operating on October 9, traffic congestion on the Metro line has lessened by 12–14% during peak hours, notably on Old Madras Road. According to MN Anucheth, joint commissioner of police for Bengaluru traffic, there has been a 12–14% drop in traffic during peak hours at Byappanahalli, Benniganahalli/Tin Factory, as well as Hoodi.

A more precise picture, however, will come from traffic after October 25. The number of expatriates leaving the city for festivals and the fact that schools are closed during puja holidays have reduced traffic on main highways. Whether automobile owners are switching to the Metro is uncertain. Numerous two-wheeler users in Delhi, according to certain research, have switched to the Metro. More automobile owners switching to Metro is what we want. But those who live close to Metro corridors—within a 1-2 km range—are more likely to utilize the Metro, he said.

Also read: Business executives ride a bus along Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road, the city's IT district. 

lacking in rolling stock

Six-coach trains are now operating at full capacity, causing lengthy lines and congestion at stations. The lack of trains continues to be a source of worry.

Currently, BMRCL runs trains every ten minutes between Whitefield and Pattandur Agrahara. During morning peak hours, short-loop services operate every five minutes from Patandur Agrahara to Mysuru Road, once every three minutes from Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Station (Majestic) and MG Road, and every ten minutes from Mysuru Road to Challaghatta.

BMRCL is unable to increase train service frequency due to a lack of rolling stock. Bengaluru's stations and platforms were built to accommodate six-coach trains, unlike the Delhi Metro's eight-coach trains. The average platform length for the Bengaluru Metro is 135 meters, which is enough for six coach-trains but not more since each coach is 22 meters long.

Experts advise BMRCL to run one train each kilometer in order to maintain a healthy frequency of three to four minutes. BMRCL had 50 trains for 45 km in Phase 1, but only 57 now, despite the network's increased length to 73 km. The Purple Line will have 33 trains, while the Green Line will have 24. There are 57 trains total. The Metro now has 52 trains—30 on the Purple Line and 22 on the Green Line—after five trains are held in repair.

Additionally, read: On October 18, a first batch of metro trains for Bengaluru's Electronics City will be sent from China. Titagarh 

The contract to provide 216 coaches to the BMRCL was granted to the China Railway Rolling Stock Corporation (CRRC) Nanjing Puzhen Co. Ltd. in December 2019. Delivery to the BMRCL is anticipated to take 173 weeks. The Purple and Green lines will use 126 of these coaches (or 21 six-coach trains), whereas the Yellow Line (RV Road-Bommasandra), which is still under construction, will use 90 of them (15 six-coach trains).

However, owing to difficulties CRRC had in finding a local manufacturer to fulfill the Make in India initiative's criterion of 75% local manufacturing, not a single train set from the order has so far arrived in Bengaluru. The delay has also been impacted by elements including COVID-19, foreign direct investment regulations, and trade limitations with China.

To produce and provide the coaches, CRRC then collaborated with Titagarh Rail, a company located in Kolkata. By month's end, the first two CRRC metro trains should be dispatched from China and should be with us in Bengaluru within a month.

New trains from CRRC-Titagarh would be introduced on the Yellow Line (RV Road-Bommasandra) initially, followed by the Purple and Green Lines, according to Parwez. "Currently, we provide short-loop services between the stations with the most foot traffic. Next month, we will get the first prototype from CRRC, which will then be evaluated. After that, Titagarh is anticipated to produce three to four trains per month, according to Parwez.

Metro VIP travel

Recently, several VIPs have begun commuting on Namma Metro.

MB Patil, the minister of large and medium industries for Karnataka, and Priyank Kharge, the minister of information technology and telecommunications, both rode the metro to use the service and speak with passengers.