Metro boon to commuters

Metro boon to commuters

The Hindu

When operational, it will transport 8.2 lakh passengers every day

# North-south, east-west corridors to intersect at metro interchange-terminal
# Gradual decrease in number of private vehicles on weekdays on some routes expected
# BMTC will realign some terminals, bus stops and routes

BANGALORE: A bus ride from J.P. Nagar to Peenya will take at least an hour, if you are lucky. Going by an autorickshaw or a car will not reduce the travel time much either.

But on the metro rail, it may take just about 30 minutes. The north-south corridor between Peenya and J.P. Nagar and the east-west corridor from Byapannahalli to Mysore Road will intersect at the metro interchange-terminal to come up between the Bangalore City Railway Station and the Kempegowda Bus Station. Office-goers can change over to another destination there with the waiting time being less than 10 minutes.

What the metro will do is reduce the travel time by at least half for most commuters. Being on dedicated tracks means no traffic signals or snarls at intersections to make travel longer and tedious as on the roads. Despite flyovers and underpasses, travelling on the city roads has not become any faster because of the sheer volume of vehicles — 22 lakhs at the last count.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation officials say that when fully operational, the partly underground system can transport 8.2 lakh passengers every day. With stations located almost every five minutes and with barely 3 km between each, getting from place to place will be easy. And with no parking hassles either.

While the traffic police cannot openly comment on the metro project, which has drawn controversy along the way, they do expect a gradual and steady decrease in the number of private vehicles on weekdays on certain routes.

The metro fares will be comparable to those of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC)'s Pushpak service.

Arrangements are being worked out to enable commuters to use a ticket or book of tickets to switch over from a bus to the metro or vice-versa. The BMTC has drawn up a plan to relocate some of its bus terminals, bus stops and routes to be aligned with the metro rail. This will help both.