Festive weekend

BANGALORE: Malls or multiplexes are magnetic crowd-pullers over weekends . But they have to contend with the latest attraction. On Saturday, the third day of the Namma Metro commercial services, the verdict was clear.
From students to senior citizens, thousands poured in for a joy ride. MG road was teeming with families out for their first look at the train.Feeder buses connecting Shanthinagar, Shivajinagar and Richmond Town to MG Road led to a traffic jam from Anil Kumble Circle to Brigade Road junction.
Foreigners too dropped by. Daryn Krutzner, a student of Christ College, came with her family from California. “The quality of coaches surpasses even the Metro in the US. It was a wonderful experience,” Daryn said.
While school and college students came in the morning, families thronged the stations by evening. “I’d travel either by auto or bus every day from school in Indiranagar to reach my Kasturinagar home. The Metro saves me a lot of time,” Nischitha Kaverappa, a Class 10 student of Cauvery School.
It was a mela at Byappanahalli station , with children out in large numbers. Architects Sandhya Rani and Anisha V said: “We spend weekends at Commercial Street. Today, we decided to take the Metro to reach MG Road. We travelled from Old Airport Road to Byappanahalli on a two-wheeler , parked it there and then took the train.”