Surpassing previous ridership records, Bengaluru's Namma Metro recorded a footfall of 4.58 lakh on Friday night. According to figures released by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), as many as 4,58,238 people travelled by metro on August 30, breaking the earlier records of 4,53,744 and 4,53,563 on August 14 and April 5, 2019, respectively. On the same day, BMRCL collected Rs 1.09 crore as revenue with the Green Line collecting more (Rs 54.81 lakh) than the Purple Line (Rs 54.25 lakh). Speaking to indianexpress.com, a BMRCL official said the high footfall can be cited to the long weekend due to Gowri Habba and Ganesha Chaturthi. "We had converted 22 of our 50 trains to six-car trains, while others still operate with 3 cars each as usual. All trains will get six coaches by March 2020," he said. At the same time, the fresh record on August 30 shared by the BMRCL on its official Twitter page generated a mixed response from the passengers. BMRCL has recorded its highest ridership on 30/08/2019 standing at 4,58,238, breaking the earlier records of 4,53,744 on 14/08/2019 & 4,52,563 on 5 We thank our commuters, who are our patrons in achieving these milestones and looking forward to serve them with pleasure. — BMRCL (@cpronammametro) August 31, 2019 While several lauded the BMRCL for its service, one user suggested increasing frequency and reducing the minimum travel charge. BMRCL can serve people better by increasing frequency, six coach trains on Green Line and reducing fare for first three stations fro ?5 to 10. Today it is not attractive to take metro for short distances. Metro station & BMTC at Banashankari needs a connection pedestrian bridge — Ananda Gundurao (@Anandagundurao) August 31, 2019 Another user called out Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) to make arrangements for buses at the first metro station when entering Bengaluru city from the outskirts or other districts. Thank You for bringing it to our notice. Your tweet has been noted and being forwarded to the concerned department for the needful — KSRTC (@KSRTC_Journeys) August 31, 2019 Meanwhile, another passenger pointed out that the trains on the Green Line are "overcrowded and suffocating." Calling out to the chief minister, he enquired when the work on the Whitefield section would be completed. Green line is overcrowded & suffocating. It was supposed to b all 6 coach trains by June 19 but it's August 19 and still u r running all 3 coach trains in Green line & that too at 8 to 10 minutes intervals. Also when work will finish at Whitefield section? @CMofKarnataka — Samrat Basak (@SamratBasak01) August 31, 2019 55-minute technical snag causes passenger inconvenience Meanwhile, technical issues at the Mysuru Road station on Saturday evening affected metro operations for 55 minutes. Trains that were to ferry commuters till Mysore Road, the last station on the purple line, terminated at Vijayanagara, three stations before the final destination. Due to technical failure at Mysoreroad station @ 18:43 hrs, Short loops services were done between Baiyappanahalli & Vijayanagar stations. Full services normalised @ 19:38 Hrs . Inconvenience caused is regretted. — BMRCL (@cpronammametro) August 31, 2019 The BMRCL then displayed a board at the stations to inform passengers about the same. The boards read, “We apologise for the ongoing delay. We will give you further information as soon as possible. Please wait for further announcement.”
