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I was going through all the local TV Channels such as News 9,Suvarna News, Janashree News, TV9 etc in Bengaluru as well as News Papers. Some are giving good publicity and some are criticizing each and every point.

One such channel was Suvarna. They were pointing that this is the most dangerous Metro in the world due to steep curves and any time it could derail. Also  the slowest Metro travelling at only 20kph in curves (although CRS has provided approval for 45kph in curves and 67 in straight lines). Third point pointed was the Third Rail Factor and many people will start committing suicide. And the reporter pointed that this is due to corruption done by BMRCL pointing Sivasilam. They interviewed Mr. M.N. Sreehari and he had lot of points against it. They also pointed there is no parking facility and who will use if there is no parking facility.

I think Mr. Sreehari was not consulted much by BMRCL and hence he is making statements against NM. I don't know what media channels like Suvarna will gain by such anti publicity.  There are a few category of people who always wants to find fault out of something and these channels will cater only them.

I think we should also understand the difficulties they faced. Narrow roads, cannot acquire property and hence sharp curves are inevitable. We should be rather proud that Bangalore transformed from old BTS buses to current Volvo Buses and Now Namma Metro.

If Bangalore can improve on this with added Cycle Tracks and Cycle Docking Stations which has just started in MG Road all across the city, plus BRT, plus starting of congestion pricing to encourage car pooling / public transport / bicycling. 

Most other news papers and channels have published only positive points interviewing people working behind it. Overall there is a festival mood in Bangalore. In BMTC Vovlo bus, everyone was speaking about Metro . 

Waiting eagerly to take a ride on Namma Metro..

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I took ride today morning between MG Road to BYPL. Actually our office shuttle passes by Residency Road via Brigade Road Junction. 6 from our shuttle got down and walked down to MG Road at around 7:40 am. MG Road station was well decorated. But the pavement to reach there on the boulevard side was not OK. It was full of barricades probably due to yesterday's function.

. Few nearby people came and said they just wanted to see train and don't want to go anywhere. Security guard didn't allow them. Our laptop bags were checked before entering the station thoroughly.

There was no crowd. We directly headed to ticket counter. We were the only ones. There are 3 counters and counters were like Airline Counters. 3 ladies dressed in full formals like airhostess were vending tickets. Tickets are like black coins. Costed 90 for 4 of us. Tapped at the gate and Took Escalator. There are two levels. First escalator goes to level 1 where there is no platform. Again we have to 1 more escalator.

Train was bound to leave at 7:50 AM. (Service starts from 6AM and will run till 10 pm). Reached Trinity in 1 1/2 minutes, 3 minutes to Ulsoor, 6 minutes to Indiranangar, 9 minutes to Swami Vivekananda Road and 12 minutes to BYPL. We reached BYPL at 8:02 AM.

There are curves after Ulsoor where train slows down a bit and there is 'quo quo' noice from the track. Same thing after Indiranagar to SV Road Station due to 90 degree turn.  Again after SV Road, similar sound while entering BYPL. I could not check the WIFI within the train since I was busy taking videos. People in TV are saying it is very powerful.

A/C was OK not that powerful as I have experienced in New York / Boston Metro. Probably it was not set properly. When train becomes crowded, we need more powerful A/C.

Byappanahlli station was huge, nearly as huge as our Bangalore City Station. Senior BMRCL members were present near the gates to familiarize people on using the tokens and they were very courteous. North Indian guards are deployed and they are very tough. They will be always whistling not to cross the yellow line. In MG Road station, we were allowed to take photographs. In BYPL, a guard shouted on us in Hindi for taking photos. We had Karnataka State Police as well. They were helpful and guided many passengers.

Major problem we faced was to reach our office in Doddanekundi from BYPL. Although it is just 6 kms, there is no direct bus. Feeder buses are not provided to Marathalli / K R Puram / Whitefield.  There were feeder buses to CV Ramannagar. We had to take a bus bound to Hoskote till Tin Factory and take 500L from there to Doddanekundi. Crossing road was horryfing near Tin Factory.

If BMTC can provide feeder towards Marathalli and ITPL, more people will use Metro. Otherwise, it will be just a tourist attraction until all the reaches are opened. 

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Now thats what I'm talking about....nice to get an update and report from a fellow Praja member, thanks for the write up Vasanth. Can anyone help to direct me on available parking on the Old NGEF factory side of the BYP Facility. I live in Kamanahalli and plan to go to BYP via Kasturinagar park at BYP use the Metro to MG road etc - will hopefully save me time due to less traffic snarls and looking for parking in the CBD if i drive directly

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This can only be termed as sheer callousness of a govt agency. If anyone else had been there, they would have grabbed by 2 hands at the first opportunity.

This is the story about an offer from erstwhile owner of the Plaza Theater to BMRCL offering some heritage photos of the Plaza Theater.

Courtesy - Bangalore Mirror

A letter to BMRCL. No reply
Six years after the movie hall shut down, the family wants to preserve the city’s heritage by offering old photographs of Bangalore’s treasured cinema house for BMRCL to display at the station which stands on the other side. One is a black-and-white picture clicked in 1938 and the other a colour photograph taken in 1994.

“I was the co-owner of the erstwhile Plaza theatre which our family ran from 1936 to 2005. I am enclosing on behalf of the family two photos of the theatre. After approval from your end, we are prepared to donate a photograph of any size and framing of any kind for display in the MG Road Station,’’ A K Ananth Narrain wrote to BMRCL managing director N Sivasailam on September 29.

He is yet to get a response. When that happens, we could get some sepia-tinted memories of a movie hall that screened Ten Commandments and Roman Holiday.

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finally after all these years!! congratulations to all.

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