Bengaluru: The much awaited train service between Byappanahalli and Whitefield, which is expected to decongest the city’s IT corridor, was flagged off on Friday by Union Railway Minister, Suresh Prabhu via video conference from Delhi.
The suburban service – the 17th to be started in the last one year and the 95th in the Bengaluru area - could help take traffic off the Old Madras Road and roads leading to the IT hub of Mahadevapura and Whitefield.
It comes as a huge relief for techies and other commuters, who have been demanding such a service to escape the traffic congestion on the roads.
One happy techie, V. Narasimha, employed in a firm in Whitefield, said it was unbelievable that his travel time had been cut to just 25 minutes from around two hours. “On reaching Byappanahalli by Metro it was an ordeal to take a shared cab or bus to reach my workplace,” he recounted.
While another techie felt the train frequency must be increased to help commuters, he was happy that the cheaper and safer service had been introduced to make lives of people like him easier.
Besides techies the service has come as boon to other passengers too. Said Geeta Rama, 56, who works as a maid in Kasturinagar, “The train journey is cheaper and will also help me reach my place of work on time and also make the journey home easier. But I would like it to be more frequent.”
Bengaluru Central MP, P. C. Mohan believes there should be at least three more services to decongest the roads in the area. “Since the construction of the Metro has begun towards Whitefield the travel time to this IT hub has increased tremendously. This train was a long pending demand of the IT crowd going to work in Whitefield and also of the residents of the area,” he recalled.
The train will begin its regular run from Saturday and will operate on all days except Sundays. It will depart from Byappanahalli at 8.25 am and reach Whitefield at 8:50 am. In the evening, it will leave Whitefield at 6.15 pm and reach Byappanahalli at 6.40 pm. Its Diesel Multiple Unit (DEMU) rake of eight coaches can accommodate as many as 2412 passengers during rush hours.
