Written by Pathi Venkata Thadhagath | Edited by Chandrashekar Srinivasan
Citizen groups in Bengaluru have taken a newly launched MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) train to the airport in order to encourage air passengers to opt for public transport while going to and from the airport. Travel time to Kempegowda International Airport – which is roughly a two-hour drive from the city – can be as little as 50 minutes, if travellers choose to go by the MEMU.
Around 170 citizens, including students, took the train to the airport from Cantonment railway station in Bengaluru on Saturday as part of Airport Train Yatra, a social campaign to encourage citizens to use train service to the airport. The citizen group, Namma Bengaluru took to social media and wrote “Today we had an #airporttrainyatra of @Namma_Bengaluru volunteers who took the suburban rail to the @BLRAirport. 170 citizens/students took the train from Blru Cantonment and back.(Sic)”
Many senior citizens and children in Bengaluru also participated in the train journey and urged people to take public transport while travelling to and from the airport.
The MEMU trains became operational in July and Indian Railways said these would run six days a week from different stations in the country. These are significantly cheaper for passengers as the Bengaluru airport express train fare is set at ₹30 – ₹35 per head. This compares to BMTC Vayu Vajra’s average fare of around ₹200 – ₹500 and cab fares through ride-hailing apps that can cost over ₹2,000 depending on the location in the city.
Less time to read?
Try Quickreads
-
₹500 crore gone with wind with demolition of Supertech’s twin towers in Noida
Rs 500 crore has gone down the drain as the Supertech’s twin towers, Apex and Ceyane, in Noida’s Sector 93A has been demolished following Supreme Court’s order, turning the structures into ashes on Sunday. The Noida authority said that 28,000 metric tonnes of construction will be generated out of this demolition and it will be treated at the Sector 80 treatment plant.
-
Supertech demolition: How an Emerald Court resident overslept during evacuation
Amid the evacuation frenzy ahead of the demolition of Supertech’s twin towers in Noida on Sunday, a seven-member task force of the Emerald Court society entrusted with carrying out evacuation from the 660 flats faced a challenge- one of the residents dozed off inside the flat, unaware of the army of volunteers knocking at his door.
-
Ahead of twin tower demolition, Supertech on SC order: ‘No deviation…’
Hours before India sees the demolition of the tallest residential towers so far, real estate giant Supertech on Sunday claimed that there was “no deviation from the building plan”. In a statement before the towers – Apex and Ceyane in the Emerald Society – are razed in Noida, the real estate developer highlighted, “No deviation from the building plan was made and the building was constructed after making full payment to the Noida Authority.”
-
Royal luxury train, Palace on Wheels to operate on O&M model from 2022-23
The train, which came to a halt due to Covid-19 in March 2020, is likely to return on track from October, this year. The train has been running since 1982 and has never been in losses. The decision to operate the train on the operation and maintenance model has been approved by the cabinet. A senior official familiar with the development said the famous Palace on Wheels will start its operations soon.
-
Hijab ban: SC to hear appeals against Karnataka HC order on Monday
The Supreme Court will hear on Monday a batch of appeals challenging the Karnataka High Court’s order which had upheld the state government’s order to ban hijabs in school and college classrooms. A bench of Justices Hemant Gupta and Sudhanshu Dhulia will hear the pleas tomorrow, the first working day of the new Chief Justice of India UU Lalit.