JOIN USManoeuvring through city traffic has always been an arduous task for the commuters. Bengalureans have tried several ways to ease the congestion on the roads and alternative means of transportation have always been on the top of that list.
Suburban/commuter rail is one of the alternatives that the citizens have begun using lately. Several citizen activists have even started raising awareness about this much-neglected means. DH spoke to commuters, especially those who take the Yeshwantpur-Hosur route, which has emerged as a golden trail for the city's IT crowd.
For Tejas Shekar, a flight operations executive, taking suburban trains to travel from one part of the city to another is a normal exercise. “I live close to the Cantonment railway station and I travel by this train regularly to Hosur. When it was inaugurated three years ago, I was one of the first few passengers to start using it,” he recalls.
But not everyone is eager to travel by these suburban trains due to several issues. “The cream of the ITPL and Electronics City crowd needs to be aware of this alternative. Perhaps, what hinders them is the lack of publicity. Besides, old line signals delay the trains,” says Shekar.
He had intimated the South Western Railway officals about the problems. “According to them, the ticket costs are not at all profitable and these fares must be increased systematically to make improvements viable,” he explains.
Bhaskaran, who works as a general manager in a leading developer firm, has always preferred the suburban train to travel from his residence in Hosur to his workplace in the city. These trips have also helped him understand the shortcomings in the way these trains are connected to important junctions of the city.
He elaborates, “I had to travel up to Cantonment railway station and take an auto to my office on MG Road, as this suburban train never stopped at the Baiyappanahalli railway station. Eight to nine years back, this route may not have been of much importance. But with several IT companies coming up, we need to improve these train services.”
The railways, he suggests, can permit some stops at the Baiyappanahalli station and the Carmelaram station, located close to the Wipro corporate office. “More stops, better shuttle services and punctuality will definitely encourage more people to take these trains,” says Bhaskaran.
Rail travel, he says, is cost-effective and the best means to avoid city traffic. “It may take time, but if the Hosur line is converted to a double line, there will be a drastic improvement,” he adds.
Lack of last-mile connectivity and feeder services are the common problems faced by most commuters. Ram Mohan, a mechanical engineer, says, “Earlier, I used to walk nearly 1.3 km every day as there are no connecting buses from the railway station to our office in Chandapura. In addition, the frequency of the trains is not sufficient. There must be additional trains on this route. The number of travellers has definitely swelled in the past few years.”
For Suhas Narayanamurthy, improving the short-distance trains is of utmost importance. He travels by rail almost three days a week and has carried out a detailed research about these suburban trains for more than a year and a half. He has met officials, written letters and has been trying to push as many people as possible to use trains on the Hosur line.
Trains on this line, he says, are most helpful for people from both the sides, Yeshwantpur and Hosur. “People from Yeshwantpur, Lottegollahalli, Hebbal and Banaswadi alight at Bellandur Road (to head to Marathahalli ORR, Mahadevapura), Carmelaram (ORR, Sarjapur Road) and Heelalige (Electronics City),” Suhas explains.
Those from Hosur and Anekal alight at Yeshwantpur, Hebbal, Bellandur Road (Marathalli ORR, Mahadevapura), Carmelaram (ORR, Sarjapur road) and Heelalige. “There are existing trains, stations, routes and enough commuters for these trains. Let's use the existing infrastructure and help the government expedite the process of building the Metro network,” Suhas adds.