Disruptions must be borne in larger interest of safety: Metro official

Bengaluru, NT Bureau: Technical snags leading to service disruptions in Metro services are here to stay. Officials from the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited reasoned it to the way the technical systems are being designed.

A S Shankar, Executive Director – Operations and Maintenance, BMRCL, told News Trail that the system is designed to prioritise safety. “Mechanical snags are inevitable, both on trains and the tracks.

The system is designed in which the trains stop to ensure the safety of passengers, although it is understood that disruptions have a huge impact on passengers, especially those who use it to go to work. “The department is trying its best to keep tabs on the system,” he went on to add.

The BMRCL, from July 6, has introduced additional services from the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Station by increasing the number of trains to 15 from 9 in the peak hours.

This was also introduced to serve passengers during peak hours at a frequency of 3.5mins. However, passengers on social media still complain of overcrowding, and demand increased frequency of services on the Purple Line, which stretches from Challaghata on the west end to Whitefield on the east end. Shankar suggested that the BMRCL is studying the patronage in all stations of the Purple Line.

“Those going to work in the IT corridor are in huge numbers, but it is important that we consider the stations located in the Central Business District (CBD) too,” he said, adding that all the rolling stock is in use.

2 on Metro get physical

In a video that is doing the rounds on social media, two individuals in a Metro train are seen fighting each other physically.

The coach, visibly overcrowded, ferrying the two who first get into a verbal spat that soon turns physical. BMRCL officials have taken cognisance of the issue and are further investigating the matter with the relevant officials.