The transport sector, which was hoping to make up for losses incurred over the last two years, has been hit by the third wave of the pandemic. The exponential surge in COVID-19 cases and the subsequent restrictions imposed by the State Government has already made a dent in ridership on Namma Metro and city buses.
The number of metro commuters has dropped from 3.5 lakh to 2.5 lakh in less than a month.“After the second wave of the pandemic, ridership had increased gradually and touched 3.5 lakh daily, but it has now reduced by 1 lakh,” said Anjum Parwez, managing director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL). As a result, revenue generation has taken a hit. “Daily earnings have come down from ₹75 lakh to ₹55 lakh. We are following the State Government’s guidelines and are allowing passengers as per seating capacity.”
To avoid overcrowding on platforms, BMRCL had decided to regulate the entry of commuters into stations. After weekend curfew was introduced, frequency of trains dropped from 20 to 30 minutes.
A BMRCL official said they are expecting ridership to drop in the coming days if COVID-19 cases rise again. “People are opting for private modes of transport as a precaution. The closure of schools and colleges and work from home have also resulted in reduced patronage.” said the BMRCL official. City buses too have recorded a drop in commuters. Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), which had seen ridership touch 23-24 lakh a day, said it has reduced to below 20 lakh. “We have seen this kind of drop during the previous two waves, too,” said a BMRCL official.
RITES is consultant for ORR–Airport line
The Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) has been selected as the project management consultant for ORR – Airport Line (Phase 2A and 2B) of Namma Metro. Anjum Parwez, managing director of BMRCL, said that RITES will work as a third party agency to make sure that the 57 km metro project from Central Silk Board to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) is completed as per standards specified in tenders and follows safety measures. RITES had earlier provided general consultancy for 42 km of Phase I of Namma Metro.