A day after the Whitefield-Krishnarajapura Metro section was unveiled by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it was thrown open to public. Moneycontrol travelled in Bengaluru's first tech corridor connected by Metro on Sunday afternoon.
12:05 pm: I’m at Whitefield (Kadugodi) Metro station on Sunday afternoon. It wears the look of a venue the day after festivities – marigold garlands wilting, and bright cloth wrappings on railings yet to be taken off. PM Modi inaugurated the section on Saturday. It is the first day of commercial operations, and there is a curious Sunday crowd gathering at the station comprising children and elderly in fairly large numbers.
The early birds are lucky enough to be welcomed with roses and chocolates by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) staff. The crowd is nothing like the weekday peak-hour hustle. No one’s in a hurry. People stop to pore over the route maps. Names of six stations of the total 12 in the section were changed in the last-minute, just before the inauguration. Most maps at the station still carry the old names. There are snaking queues at the ticket counters and some surprised looks at the discovery of QR code tickets.
Selfie hunters are not hard to spot and few middle-aged men, perhaps enthusiastic vloggers, are talking to themselves as they video record on their phones. I used Namma Metro’s QR code ticket via WhatsApp. It costs me Rs 33.25 (for tokens, it’s Rs 35). The Automatic Fare and Collection (AFC) gates are manned by cheery BMRCL staff, guiding and welcoming passengers. After the security check, I head towards platform 2 for my train to Krishnarajapura.
12:10 pm: There’s a train waiting when I arrive at the platform. The service has a frequency of 12 minutes. It is sparsely crowded when I board but fills up steadily and soon all the seats are taken. The train leaves the station at 12:12 pm.
12:13 pm: We stop at the Hope Farm Channasandra station next. A middle-aged man and an elderly lady seated opposite me are visibly overjoyed. They take selfies with the station name board in the background and the lady exclaims: “Namma Metro namma manege banthu! (Metro has reached our home)”. It is perhaps the closest station to where they live.
Tabebuia Rosea trees in bloom along the Whitefield Metro section.
Apartments and a row of pink tabebuias race past our windows. After negotiating a steep curve, the train chugs into Kadugodi tree park station at 12:15 pm. The nomenclature can be confusing. Whitefield station too goes by the same first name – Kadugodi. An elderly gentleman in olive-coloured baggy cap remarks to a younger friend that he can now go on daily morning walks to the park.
A cluster of tech parks take over the surroundings as the train nears Pattandur Agrahara. “See, that’s my office!” an excited passenger tells his friend, pointing to one of the glass buildings in the distance. “I’m going to sell off my car, buddy.” There’s a look of relief on his face. The relief that’s probably shared by many in the area, who can now do without their private vehicles for office commute.
12:17 pm: The train enters Pattandur Agrahara station and the familiar voice of the female Kannada announcer doesn’t come on. The train operator hurriedly fills in and announces the station name. The majestic white building of Sri Sathya Sai hospital with its sprawling premises appears on the horizon.
Sri Sathya Sai hospital in the backdrop as the train heads towards the station named after it.
12:22 pm: After negotiating a steep curve near Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC)'s Traffic Transit Management Centre (TTMC), it’s Nallurhalli station. A minute later, the train halts at Kundalahalli, right next to SAP Labs. I can’t help but picture the mad rush of techies on weekdays. Thankfully there’s none of it today.
A tech-park building seen from the Metro train on Whitefield (Kadugodi)- Krishnarajapura section.
12:27 pm: The train halts at Hoodi station and a fresh batch of passengers file in. Now there’s a thin-standing crowd. The train drops speed marginally soon after through a sharp curve and reaches Garudacharpalya in three minutes. Trains run slow between Garudacharpalya and Krishnarajapura stations since it's a single track and passengers board and alight at the same platform. After Hoodi, Singayyanapalya arrives at 12:32pm and a significant number of passengers get off. Phoenix mall, on the opposite side, beckons.
12:35 pm: We pass the Krishnarajapura hanging bridge and snake our way into the station. The AFC gates are choked with passengers waiting to exit the Krishnarajapura station.
12:41 pm: I’m no longer in the cool confines of the Metro with Kyoto-like pink blossoms all around. The afternoon sun is overhead as I wait for a feeder bus. I spot a non-AC bus waiting in front of the station.
Around the same time, I realise that I'm not carrying any cash. I quickly check the fare with the conductor. It’s Rs 10 to Byappanahalli Metro station. But Unified Payments Interface (UPI) won’t work, the conductor informs me. He's carrying an Android electronic ticketing machine but clearly it's of little use. With BMRCL planning to distribute NCMC cards from March 30, I wonder when they’ll catch up.
I reprimand myself for being too spoilt by UPI. I haven’t visited an ATM in months. To my great relief, an auto driver at the nearby stand agrees to exchange cash for a UPI transfer. Happy with the barter, I board the bus with my clutch of soiled notes.
Feeder bus service between Krishnarajapura and Byappanahalli Metro stations.
12:50 pm: The bus is crowded and there's little legroom. After what feels like a lengthy wait, the driver finally decides to depart. Though it was earlier announced that it will be a direct feeder bus service, I notice that it halts at Benniganahalli. Old Madras Road is unrecognisable without the choc-o-bloc weekday traffic. While passing through, I spot unfinished work near the Benniganahalli railway track, where BMRCL is yet to complete work on a span.
12:58: The bus empties itself on the opposite side of the Byappanahalli Metro station. The Foot Over Bridge (FOB) lift is not working so I climb the stairs with fellow passengers from the bus and a bunch of new faces.
1:05 pm: I board an empty train from platform 3 of Byappanahalli Metro station and pick a corner seat. It's another good seven minutes before the train departs.
1:24 pm: MG Road station. As I alight, I wonder how much faster and more seamless the Metro could get by July once the missing link between Byappanahalli and Krishnarajapura is completed. That will be the true game changer.
