Bengaluru: Commuters give a thumbs up to new Whitefield-KR Puram line, some express disappointment over missing Baiyappanahalli link

There were some reports of technical glitches in Automatic Fare Collection gates and QR scanning systems in some metro stations Monday.

When the Indian Express took the train from Krishnarajapura to Whitefield (Kadugodi), the journey time along 12 stations took around 28 minutes. However, those reaching Krishnarajapura metro station from Baiyappanahalli metro station will have to watch out for the hassle of finding the right metro feeder bus and commute through the Tin factory junction, which is infamous for its traffic, to later reach the metro station. With the 3 km stretch from Baiyappanahalli metro station to KR Puram metro station yet to be connected, metro feeder buses offering a ride at Rs 10 from SV Road to KR Puram station have been pressed into service. The BMTC (Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation) is offering feeder buses at a frequency of five minutes from 6:05 am to 10:30 pm.

Although the gap between the two metro stations is inconvenient for passengers, those travelling only between Whitefield and KR Puram are likely to be more cheerful with the new line. A loco pilot working on the new 13.71 km stretch explained that the time taken to travel from KR Puram to Whitefield is longer because of the ‘single way’ route from KR Puram to Garudacharpalya. However, the journey from Whitefield to KR Puram will take around 22-24 minutes.

Sharing his experience, Harish, a techie who works at ITPL, said: “I think any metro station you deboard on this stretch leads you to an IT park or a big tech company, which is a big boost. I travelled by bus from Hebbal to KR Puram and boarded the metro train from KR Puram station. Usually, I take a bus from KR Puram to reach ITPL – which would take nearly an hour to reach the office. Now with the metro, it will take just about 20 minutes. A lot of time is saved.” He added that “I am also half satisfied because the Baiyappanahalli and KR Puram line is not connected. If it was connected, I could directly take a local train to Majestic and board the metro from there to ITPL. Until then, it is inconvenient.”

Girendhra, another techie, said: “We know the state is heading towards elections and the government is trying to roll out the services as soon as possible. I boarded the train at 10 am from KR Puram and I was able to reach Sri Sathya Sai Hospital in 15 minutes, which is a miracle. Time is everything and I can easily commit to someone when I am using the metro. However, the cross-over from KR Puram railway station to the metro station is a mess, because of the traffic.”

Supriya K, a resident of Kadugodi whose office is located on Residency Road, ruled out the option of travelling on the new stretch because of the gap between KR Puram and Baiyappanahalli. When Indian Express caught up with Supriya, she said: “I boarded a bus from my residence to Whitefield metro station. Having travelled 22 minutes to KR Puram by metro, taking a bus again to Baiyappanahalli is time-consuming. I have to take the bus for the third time again to Residency Road, after reaching Trinity metro. I have to follow the same process when going back home, which is very inconvenient and exhausting. With the work between Baiyappanahalli and KR Puram remaining incomplete, there is no point in taking this metro line.”

Parvez stated that the link between Baiyappanahalli and KR Puram will be completed by the end of June. “We understand that this is an integral part of the metro stretch and adds to the major boost in ridership. We will finish the work in the next three months,” said Parvez.

Mohammad Islam, a techie cheering for the new metro line, pointed out: “I think there have to be feeder buses to Whitefield metro station. I come from Belathur, a slightly remote area, and there are no autos or cabs available to Whitefield metro station.”

Parvez said that parking facilities will be available only for two-wheelers at KR Puram and Whitefield metro stations. “Due to space constraints, we may not have parking facilities in the other stations. Moreover, as a policy, we are not building parking facilities for four-wheelers. We encourage riders to bring their two-wheelers,” he added.

Parvez also shared that the BMRCL will launch the Common Mobility Card in the next four to five days.