on account of Ambedkar Jayanti, Namma Metro trains were reportedly arriving every 8-10 minutes during peak hours, a significant drop from the usual 3-5 minute intervals, on April 14, 2025.
| Photo Credit: Special arrangement
Namma Metro’s Nadaprabhu Kempegowda (Majestic) station witnessed chaotic scenes on Monday (April 14, 2025) morning as commuters going to office as well as those returning to the city after the weekend were met with overcrowded platforms and delayed metro trains.
The disruption was attributed to a lower-than-usual train frequency on account of the government holiday for Ambedkar Jayanti. Trains were reportedly arriving every 8-10 minutes during peak hours, a significant drop from the usual 3-5 minute intervals. With hundreds of daily commuters dependent on the metro to reach work on time, platforms at Majestic quickly turned into a sea of people with barely any space to stand or move.
“I am a daily metro commuter and I have certain timings that I follow in order to reach office on time. It has never changed before, so I depended on the same today,” said Sourav R., a commuter who travels from Jalahalli to MG Road. “However, the timings were different. The Majestic waiting lines were really long and the next metro was 15 minutes later. I reached the office late, although I left home at my usual time.”
Commuters rail against BMRCL
Many took to social media to express their frustration, blaming the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) for failing to anticipate the rush. “BMRCL thinks everyone has a holiday, running trains at 10-minute frequency at rush hour,” wrote commuter Krishna A.G. on X. “Majestic will have a stampede one of these days and only BMRCL will be to blame. No queue, no rules, it is a free-for-all today,” he added.
Another commuter, Prabha Sekhar, described the situation as “massive crowding and confusion” with no clear communication from BMRCL authorities.
Even Bengaluru Central MP P.C. Mohan criticised the metro operator for poor planning. Sharing a video of the crowded station, he posted on X: “Unacceptable mismanagement at Majestic Metro Station this morning. Reducing train frequency to 10 mins during peak hours, assuming everyone has a holiday, created absolute chaos.” He urged BMRCL to restore normal frequency immediately and ensure better planning during public holidays.
Yashwanth Chavan, Chief Public Relations Officer, BMRCL, said, “Following the crowd build up at Majestic station on account of the general holiday today, BMRCL has operationalised four additional trains from Baiyappanahalli to Majestic to enhance public convenience. Additionally, one train was short terminated at Majestic and returned to ITPL. With this, a total of seven fresh trips originating from Majestic, Garudacharpalya and Whitefield. Also, this evening, trains from ITPL will operate at 5 minutes headway.”
Published – April 14, 2025 02:16 pm IST
