As Metro work begins, Whitefield residents seek greater connectivity via suburban rail

BENGALURU: Although the Metro is likely to decongest the streets of Whitefield once it starts operations on the Byappanahalli-Whitefield stretch, residents of the area are urging authorities to provide them alternative modes of transport in the interim period.
Work on the line has commenced, and around 80 buildings have been demolished along the 15.5km-stretch that will be dotted by 13 Metro stations.Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) is widening the road along this line, before taking up construction of pillars on the median. However, Whitefield residents and commuters are not willing to buy BMRC's argument that Namma Metro work won't hamper vehicular movement, in an area infamous for traffic gridlocks.
Citizen groups such as Whitefield Rising, and resident welfare associations of KR Puram and other surrounding areas are pressing civic bodies to provide connectivity between Byappanaalli and Whitefield through Multiple Electrical Mechanical Unit (MEMU) trains to decongest the roads.
Narasimha Murthy, a resident of Vijayanagar, travels to Hoodi for work every day. Having tried all available means of transport, Murthy has come to the conclusion that suburban train is the most convenient. "It's great to travel by Metro from Byapanahalli to Mysuru Road. But it's a challenge to get to Byappanahalli station. Suburban train is cheaper and faster. But only two trains are operating right now, and neither suits my schedule. Also, the trains occasionally stop between stations, sometimes for nearly an hour. We need trains running every 15 minutes," he added.
Pravir B, a member of Whitefield Rising, told TOI that deadlines meant little to the city's civic agencies. "Besides people coming to Whitefield from all parts of the city, residents also commute to the central parts of Bengaluru for work or on business on a daily basis. A one-way journey from Whitefield to the Central Business District takes 90 minutes on any of the three routes - via KR Puram, Doddanekundi or Marathahalli. When Metro work starts on the KR Puram-ITPL corridor, vehicles coming to Whitefield from the centre of the city will take the route either via Doddanekundi or Marathahalli. These two routes have major bottlenecks, and travel time is only likely to increase owing to diversion of traffic," he added.
Pravir said that schoolchildren would be affected the most by the increase in traffic. "We have received no updates from the directorate of urban land transport on implementing the suburban rail project. Our only request is that more trains be operated along the route," he said.
RN Hegde, a member of the Whitefield Area Commerce and Industries Association, said that many companies were planning to shift shop to Malur. "We're trying to understand how the GST rollout will affect our business. However, metro work and the monsoon are likely to have an adverse impact on companies housed in Whitefield. Many have already wound up operations here, and relocated to Malur, since some of their properties were acquired, either partially or completely by BMRC. Government authorities do not touch residential apartments, but penalise industries," Hegde said.