Bengaluru airport trains cancelled by railways citing low ridership, staff shortage; passengers fume

KIA halt station, located 3.5 km from the KIA terminal, was built by BIAL at a cost of around Rs 3 crore, and was inaugurated on January 4, 2021.

Airport-bound passengers are unhappy over the decision by the South Western Railway (SWR) to cancel the Memu express trains to and from the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) railway station.

Shyam Singh, Bengaluru divisional railway manager said the Memu (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) trains will be canceled from June 1 due to low ridership, with occupancy rates falling below 5%, and a severe shortage of crew members.

However, the cancellation of trains immediately after the Karnataka assembly polls has raised concerns. This comes at a time when airport-bound passengers are already frustrated by severe traffic congestion and the exorbitant prices and cancellations of app-based cabs traveling to and from KIA.

Commuter rail activist Rajkumar Dugar said, "The poor patronage to and from KIA station is a result of abysmally low punctuality, lack of maintenance of trains, incorrect routes, and timings. SWR has made no substantial efforts to improve patronage. In fact, extending the service to Chikaballapur could have been a win-win situation."

A netizen named Pankaj Malviya wrote on Twitter, "Japan kept running a train and the railway station because one girl used to board the train to reach her school. If railways will stop trains like this, confidence of people to use trains for daily commute will go for toss #PublicService (sic)."

Cancelled trains

In a notification released on Wednesday night, SWR announced the cancellation of ten Memu express trains, including 06531 KSR Bengaluru City - Devanahalli, 06533 Devanahalli - Yelahanka, 06534 Yelahanka - KIA, 06535 Devanahalli - Bengaluru Cantonment, 06536 Bengaluru Cantonment - Devanahalli, 06537 Devanahalli - Bengaluru Cantonment, 06538 Bengaluru Cantonment - Devanahalli, 06539 Devanahalli - Yelahanka, 06540 Yelahanka - Devanahalli, and 06532 Devanahalli - KSR Bengaluru.

SWR also announced the partial cancellation of other Demu trains passing through the KIA halt station. This includes 06382 Kolar - Bengaluru Cantonment express (cancelled between Byappanahalli and Cantonment), 06387 KSR Bengaluru - Kolar (cancelled between KSR Bengaluru and Byappanahalli), 06388 Kolar - Bengaluru Cantonment (cancelled between Byappanahalli and Bengaluru Cantonment), and 06381 Bengaluru Cantonment - Kolar (cancelled between Bengaluru Cantonment and Byappanahalli).

KIA halt station

KIA halt station, located 3.5 km from the KIA terminal, was built by BIAL at a cost of around Rs 3 crore, and was inaugurated on January 4, 2021. Travel time to the airport by a Memu train is 90 minutes including 10 minute free shuttle bus service between halt station and terminal. While a trip to KIA by these Memu trains costs Rs 30, app based cabs charge around Rs 1,500 and BMTC’s Vayu Vajra Rs 250-Rs 300 per head.

Many airport-bound passengers said they are reluctant to take these services because of poor frequency and lack of punctuality. Around 30,000 people work at the airport, but not many of them are keen on taking these trains due to poor reliability and lack of awareness. There are also no trains to KIA station from places like Hosur and Whitefield despite heavy demand.

Increase in passengers at Bengaluru airport

According to Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), which operates KIA, there has been an increase in the number of airport passengers. In comparison to the previous financial year, Bengaluru airport reported a growth in passenger numbers, with a total of 31.91 million passengers traveling through the airport. Of this total, 28.12 million were domestic passengers, and 3.78 million were international passengers during this period.

The domestic sector recorded an 85% growth, while the international sector recorded a 245% growth compared to FY22. On February 26, 2023, the airport reached the highest number of passengers for FY23, with 114,299 individuals, marking the highest number of passengers on a single day since the airport opened in 2008.