BENGALURU: The state government’s proposal to extend Namma Metro services till Tumakuru has come under attack from Chukubuku activists and traffic experts. They are now pressing for a planned and sophisticated commuter or suburban train to help commuters between Tumakuru and Bengaluru.
Chukubuku Campaign Coordinator Srinivas Alavilli, who has been demanding commuter or suburban train, told Deccan Chronicle that the state government should instead focus on building Metro connectivity and providing feeder services and last-mile connectivity in the city. Passengers should not be left stranded in some place looking for an option to reach their destination or last-mile, he said.
“Tumakuru has a good train network, which although not christened as suburban, is actually plying such a network. It is ferrying hundreds of people to and back from Tumakuru. Same is the case with people commuting from Whitefield, Malur and Kolar. This is a classic example where the services are strengthened with technology for signalling. This also makes the case for quadrupling of rail network,” he said.
Quadrupling of railway network provides a cheaper and quicker service for commuters, while technology helps proper management of signalling without having to disturb both long and short distance trains, explained traffic and railway expert Sanjeev Dyamannavar.
“Metro is definitely not a good idea for towns like Tumakuru as it will not get good ridership. It will not benefit vendors and those carrying heavy luggage. But commuter trains work wonders as they are cheaper and help traders and vendors carry their material. Metro requires building new infrastructure and involves land acquisition at high costs and massacre of trees,” he said.
“Providing suburban train facility to Kolar, Tumakuru, Devanahalli and Ramanagar will help take pressure off the city. People don’t mind travelling long distances, like in Mumbai and Chennai, provided there is last-mile, guaranteed and timely connectivity,” explained Mr Alavilli.
The government should focus on providing rail connectivity along the Outer Ring Road, running regular trains and complementing them with feeder services to reach different parts of the city, he said.
There has been a delay in forming the Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV) to execute the suburban train project. The ego clash between state and central governments has made citizens and city suffer, he criticised, and pointed out that there has been very little progress on the project.
