Grand welcome to Green Metro: 1.17 lakh commuters in 6 hours!
- Within 4 hours of inaguration, a record 38,000 commuters boarded Namma Metro. By 10pm the total number went up to 1.17 lakh
- It was a festival day, with people showing green posters congratulating BMRCL on the first day of Green Line
- Commuters queued up two hours before the commencement to buy tickets at the decorated stations.
- The rain and the India-Pakistan cricket match did not dampen the excitement, all bogies filled to capacity
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FollowRecord commuters of 1.17 lakh took the first ride in the Namma Metro's Green Line on Sunday. The atmosphere was festive. Families came like going for a picnic to enjoy the first ride. People carrying posters congratulating BMRCL was heartening. People queued up 2 hours before the counters opened.
The Green Line launched on June 17 by the President was thrown open to public from June 18 at 4 pm, attracting 38,000 commuters in 4 hours between Nagasandra and Yelachenahalli. As many as 6,376 commuters boarded the metro in the first hour. Metro ran at every 2 to 4 minutes interval. By 10 pm a total of 1,09,939 had taken the first ride. Metro service was available till 11 pm. The Byappanahalli-Nayandahalli Purple Line saw 56,884 commuters by 10 pm. The number of commuters for the same period on previous Sunday was 40,783.
Thousands lined up in South Bengaluru to enjoy the first ride in festive mood. Every station from Yelachenahalli to Sampige Road, decorated with Rangoli, balloons and torana, was swarmed with people. The rains did not dampen their spirit; neither the Indo-Pak cricket match. In fact, the pilot had to be extra cautious before closing the doors so that nobody was caught in between the doors.
Being a Sunday, families made a bee line to metro to have the thrill of metro going through the tunnel at National College. As the train starting at Yelachenahalli passed through RV College, Jayanagar and South End and Lalbagh people had a different view of their familiar neighbourhood from top angle. As soon as the train entered the tunnel at National college, there was a collective gasp.
