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Bengaluru: Troubles for Namma Metro’s Purple line, stretching from Challaghatta in West Bengaluru to Kadugodi (Whitefield) in East Bengaluru, continue to escalate with rising ridership and a lack of trains to accommodate them. Even in this situation, no relief is expected until next year. Passengers traveling on the 43 km-long Purple Line face challenges reaching their destination. Overcrowded conditions have even led to fights breaking out inside the trains. Trains are infrequent, often stopping, and doors are not closing due to overcrowding; all of this is an everyday scene inside the trains, which ferry passengers to the city’s IT Corridor in Whitefield.
The reason why these trains are suddenly overcrowded is because IT firms have asked their employees to return to the office, ending the culture of working from home, which was mandated during the Covid-19 pandemic. Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) officials affirmed the reason behind the sudden surge in ridership on the Purple Line. Flipkart, TCS, Infosys, Google, Amazon, Meta, Cognizant, Wipro, and HCLTech have mandated office attendance. TCS has reported that nearly 70 per cent of its employees are back at the office.
On most weekdays, the daily ridership on the Purple Line peaks at 800,000. To manage the congestion, BMRCL operates short-loop services from the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Majestic interchange station towards Whitefield. Despite that, the woes of overcrowding still persist, and these are expected to ease after the new trains are introduced next year.
Also Read: Doors Didn't Close Until I Exited: Bengaluru Metro Riders in Constant Loop of Crowded Coaches to Whitefield
According to data furnished by the BMRCL, some of the busiest stations include Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Majestic Interchange, Indiranagar, Benniganahalli, MG Road, Nagasandra, Mantri Square Sampige Road, and KR Puram. Among these, the Benniganahalli station that began operations in October 2023 has seen unexpected high traffic. It is due to its accessibility for people from Hebbal and Hoskote areas.
Why Does Namma Metro Lack Trains?
The two operational metro lines – Purple (Challaghatta-Whitefield) and Green (Silk Institute-Nagasandra) – are overcrowded, especially due to delays in coach deliveries from Chinese company CRRC. Ramesh Venkataramu, General Secretary of the Outer Ring Road Companies Association, said that most employees along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) are working from the office, with some using hybrid work models, according to a report by Moneycontrol. Many employees rely on the KR Pura Metro for commuting, with BMTC running AC feeder bus services between KR Pura and Central Silk Board.
Shashidhar B, a regular metro passenger working at ITPB, Whitefield, said that despite BMRCL running trains every three minutes during morning peak hours, they are still packed. Evening frequencies from Whitefield are worse.
Optimal Frequency Can Help: Experts
According to experts, the BMRCL needs one train per kilometer to maintain an optimal frequency of three to four minutes. Despite taking dedicated efforts such as expanding to 73 km, Bengaluru Metro only has 57 trains. A prototype DTG (Distance-To-Go) train for the Purple and Green Lines is expected from China by September 2024. It is supposed to reach India by February 2025, with all testing completed. A total of 21 DTG trains are expected next year, with additional trains from Titagarh Rail Systems Limited (TRSL) starting in June 2025.
Bengaluru Metro faces unique overcrowding issues despite poor last-mile connectivity. The average daily ridership has increased from 560,000 to around 800,000, particularly after the Karnataka government introduced free bus travel for women (Shakti). This rise followed the completion of key links between KR Pura and Byappanahalli stations and the extension to Challaghatta on the Purple Line.
During peak hours, BMRCL runs short-loop services between Majestic and Garudacharpalya on the Purple Line. However, passengers often complain about low frequency and insufficient services from Garudacharpalya to Pattandur Agrahara (ITPB), where many tech companies are located. Officials explain that short-loop trains can only reverse at Garudacharpalya station.