The much awaited Metro Rail Network was inaugurated in Bangalore on 20th October 2011 after an inordinate number of delays and postponements. From the initial reactions it seems it was worth the wait. So I decided to check out the Bangalore Metro on my way back from Office along with 4 of my colleagues. We took the ride from MG Road to Byappanahalli on the Metro on its second day Oct 22nd .
There was a huge crowd at the ornately decorated MG Road station waiting to get the entry. There was a security check of us and the bags that we carried. Metro Railway Station looks like the terminal of an international airport. Hope it would retain the cleanliness. Ticket was like a plastic coin that had to put on top of the turnstile for it to open. We took the elevator to the platform. Most of the crowd were seen with camera & handycam and enjoying the moment.
Then the train arrived. Crowds barged in and in the typical Indian mentality jostled to get a seat. Within seconds people realized that fun was not in sitting but in standing. The metro runs on elevated pillars that are about 40 ft above the ground . It was fun to stand inside the metro train and watch the Poor souls on the buses, cars and bikes tragically struck in the Traffic signals underneath.
The metro ride itself was smooth,with elegant ambience inside amplified by the good Air-conditioning & TV Display . My colleague was trying to check if his Kindle is picking the Wi-Fi signal that are provided within Metr o !!! .No hassle of traffic snarl & the Conductor. The ride was so smooth that I covered around 7 kms in 15 minutes, a record speed that you can never achieve on the Bangalore roads on a working day. Once the current line is extended till Majestic, (the Bangalore city centre) Metro would become indispensable part of Bangalore.
So the Journey ended as soon as it started. I left the station happy only to find that Metro feeder buses are not running at the full strength. I hope the authorities will rectify it soon. Have you taken your ride yet in the Bangalore? If not do so…You would definitely enjoy it.
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