Bengaluru: 2020 may be a better year for urban mobility

BENGALURU: Bengaluru, which is perennially dogged by chock-a-block roads, can look forward to 2020 with some hope and expectation, going by the promises made by various government agencies to unveil projects to benefit urban mobility.
With more than 80 lakh vehicles and average speed dropping by the day from the current 10kmph during peak hours, a sizeable section of Bengalureans is spending frustrating hours on city roads.However, several projects by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), South Western Railway(SWR) and Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) slated to come to fruition soon may change things on the ground.
Namma Metro is likely to expand its wings next year after a gap of three years. While the 6.2km Yelachenahalli-Anjanapura Township line is expected to be become operational by August, the line between Mysuru Road and Challaghatta near Kengeri will be ready by October. This will help residents of the south and south-western Bengaluru and boost the real estate sector in those areas. BMRCL has also decided to extend its train timings from the current 11:30pm to 12am from January 1. BMTC will also extend its feeder bus services in sync with Metro timings.
Further, Metro users can expect some relief from overcrowded trains as all 50 trains on both Purple and Green lines will have six coaches by March 2020. Each six-car train can carry up to 2,002 passengers compared to the maximum capacity of 975 in three-car trains and the coach behind the loco pilot’s cabin is reserved for women. Namma Metro’s average daily ridership is also expected to cross more than 5 lakh in 2020. Work on the much-delayed Silk Board- K R Puram – Kempegowda International Airport is also expected to begin in 2020.
The long-pending demand for a common mobility card that can be used on Metro and BMTC buses is likely to be fulfilled by January-end. BMRCL is opening four automatic fare collection (AFC) gates at Nadaprabhu Kempegowda and Byappanahalli stations on a pilot basis. This will be extended to other stations in a phased manner. The AFC gates at the new stations will also accept QR-based ticketing. The much-delayed Unified Metropolitan Transport Authority (UMTA) to coordinate multiple government agencies is expected to be formed in 2020.
In an environment-friendly move, 300 electric buses are set to be inducted into the BMTC fleet by 2020-end under phase II of Faster Adoption and Manufacturing of Electric Vehicles (FAME). Those owning electric vehicles in the city can benefit from the public charging points that Bescom plans to install at every 5km across Bengaluru. BMTC is also expected to lease another 6,000 new buses, 50% of which will be electric and deployed on bus priority lanes. After the bus-priority lane on Outer Ring Road, similar initiatives will be taken up on another 12 high-traffic density corridors, enabling buses to move faster than private modes of transport. The state government has also promised a fare reduction, expecting to attract more people to public transport. BMTC is in talks with private online travel booking sites to book Vayu Vajra airport bus tickets in advance. It is also in talks with private firms to facilitate better first and last-mile connectivity for its commuters.
The much delayed 148-Km suburban rail network with 57 stations is also likely to get approval from the Union cabinet in 2020. With work on doubling of Byappanahalli-Hosur and Yeshwantpur-Channasandra routes, quadrupling of Cantonment-Whitefield section and Bengaluru Cantonment suburban terminal expected to commence soon, Bengalureans could hope for more suburban trains. A halt railway station near the airport will also be ready by January-end. The city’s third coaching terminal at Byappanahalli is likely to become operational by March 2020, reducing congestion at KSR Bengaluru City railway station.