[dust-n-bones]

Originally Posted by vinu_h

Priority can only be accorded to early listing/ruling of cases related to the metro. Until a ruling is received on a case filed by the one from whom land is sought by BMRCL, the project cannot proceed.

Not sure if litigation has anything to do with it.

What I am saying is, more co-ordination is needed in Bangalore infra planning. When a road project like satellite or peripheral ring road is planned, why not involve BMRCL right then, and give 30 meters right of way to metro from the 150 meters acquired.

And eventually build 'multimodal transport' from ground up. The metro station should have a bus station too, parking for autos/PVs, some shopping. Even office space in high-rise stations. All that can be 'non-linear' revenue.

The metro and cars/buses can run all together at the same grade in the corridor, with dedicated mass transit lanes.

Originally Posted by am1m

Specifically with the case of the Yellow Line, the issue was that a Chinese corporation was the lowest bidder, the condition was they would use a local manufacturing partner, and that kept getting delayed for some reason or the other.

(https://www.news18.com/auto/bengalur...y-8749780.html)

Shouldn't they have calculated backwards from the 'pre-EMI' that must be haemorrhaging them today, and found solutions to this.

Flipping vendors, or leasing trainsets would have caused much less damage to their balance sheet. They have instead taken the 'do-nothing' option, like a govt department where nobody feels the pinch of public money spent irresponsibly.

[sachinpk]

Originally Posted by SideView

Isnt there some rule that if the queue exceeds 100 ft(??) they are meant to allow free flow of the vehicle until it reduces? (I have seen it happen couple of times in Kerala)

There was a directive from NHAI regarding this, but it was taken back in the year 2021.

Originally Posted by am1m

Not ordering enough train sets and the mess with the Chinese order, because of which the Yellow Line is being delayed for over a year.

For the Yellow line, the Chinese company had outsourced the work of building train sets to a West Bengal based company (in Titagarh). May be this was a contractual obligation. I don't get any positive feeling about the capabilitiy of the West Bengal based company. But what is stopping Namma Metro from using train sets in the other lines? My understanding is that the guage, electrification systems, signalling systems are all the same for all metro lines. So the train-sets/rakes also can be used on any of the lines? On Yellow Line there was a grand plan to have a driver-less train. But later I heard that, ultimately when the line starts getting used trains would be run by drivers.

But ultimately, with a city like Bangalore, build it, they will come.

I stay near Bommasandra which is one end of the Yellow line. Real-estate barons have already started their heavy marketing campaigns (Jast 3kms away from Namma Metro..) and the whole demography of areas such Bommasandra and Chandapura have changed. What no body really does not think is options for last mile connectivity. The Metro station does not have car parking options, roads in the area (except the highway) are not wide enough. As it is the traffic jams have now reached the levels of Bangalore city.

[Rajeevraj]

Good summary of all the infra projects in Bangalore that are either stuck or slow moving. Most of them have missed multiple deadlines and still have no ETA on completion. Most of them will not complete in 2025 also. The sad thing is that these projects cover all our transportation options - Metro, Suburban Rail , BMTC, flyovers, elevated corridors, new road expansions.

No wonder our rant thread goes on and on. Even if one of the above had a high priority we would have had some hope. The uniform delays across everything is disheartening. A city like Bangalore deserves much better.

Bengalurupost-X Link

[am1m]

Was walking on Brigade Road yesterday, preparations are on by the cops for New Year's today. Barricades, cameras, support/deployment vehicles, lookout/observation platforms. Looks like the top brass took the reports of harassment during last year's NYE in that area, and the crowds seriously and are making preps to prevent a repeat. I hope they crack down mercilessly on any road romeos this year.

DO NOT drink and drive tonight guys. Besides being a terrible thing to do, going by the way Bangalore cops are seem to be gearing up, enforcement looks like it will be very strict.

[ShreyG]

Originally Posted by Rajeevraj

A city like Bangalore deserves much better.

Bengalurupost-X Link

This is a sentiment echoed across all sectors of humanity in Bangalore. Delays here are SOP and not an exception.

Having been here for the better part of decade, I see that the local politicos, functionaries and goons claim all their love for the language and culture and its preservation on face value, but in actual, they seem to absolutely hate the city and are in the process of leeching off the city with no intent of its development. One can probably count fully completed and functioning infra projects of the city on their fingers post 2020.

Fortunately, the city so far, has been resilient enough to bear their onslaught and will continue to do so because of the efforts and adjusting nature of the actual, hardworking people (locals / migrants alike).

Hopefully, somewhere down the line, we get an actual leader who has some sort of affection to the city and actually cares. Till then, we vote on, year after year, in expectation (low as they may be).

[gtonsing]

Originally Posted by am1m

_snipped_

DO NOT drink and drive tonight guys. Besides being a terrible thing to do, going by the way Bangalore cops are seem to be gearing up, enforcement looks like it will be very strict.

Absolutely no drink and driving, not tonight, not ever.

When I was younger, I used to ride my thunderbird and one night I was returning from a party and the next day I called my then girlfriend saying something like "I was so pissed I dont even remember which roads I rode by". She gave me the most precious expletives and concluded by saying "How can you be so selfish and not think about what will happen to me if something happened to you? How can you be so irresponsible and not think about me? And what if you made a mistake and hurt someone else? What about their loved ones?"

THAT sobered me up really fast.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by gtonsing

Absolutely no drink and driving, not tonight, not ever.

Originally Posted by am1m

DO NOT drink and drive tonight guys. Besides being a terrible thing to do, going by the way Bangalore cops are seem to be gearing up, enforcement looks like it will be very strict.

On a positive note, Bangalore metro (green & purple lines) will be functioning late till 2 am. Also the BMTC has announced that additional buses will operate until 2 am, complementing the extended metro rail services. These will be from major hubs like MG Road, Brigade Road, as well as areas such as Electronic City, Jigani, and Sarjapur, among others.

Historically, DriveU and other driver services become undependable on these days but hopefully some of us can get their services hopefully. And if nothing, we have the cab services that will be on overdrive peak pricing.

[condor]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

On a positive note, Bangalore metro (green & purple lines) will be functioning late till 2 am. Also the BMTC has announced that additional buses will operate until 2 am, .

We have come a long way from walking from Brigades back home, about 13km away. But that was different kind of fun.

[am1m]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

On a positive note, Bangalore metro (green & purple lines) will be functioning late till 2 am.

Originally Posted by condor

We have come a long way from walking from Brigades back home, about 13km away.

Anyone planning to use the Metro to get from the MG Road/Brigade Road area tonight, please be advised that they plan to shut the MG Road station from 11 pm onwards. (https://www.hindustantimes.com/citie...311591485.html)

The cops say it is because of 'potential overcrowding', but I really don't understand the logic of shutting the biggest station in the vicinity and directing crowds to use the Trinity and Cubbon Park stations, when they are saying the Metro will run till 2 am.

Anyway, IMHO, Metro or not, just avoid the CBD tonight, much less hassle. (But perhaps I'm just too old for that kind of 'fun'!)

[shankar.balan]

1995-1996 NYE - that was the herald of the unruly crowds stalking the streets of the CBD and ‘walking down Brigades’ and actually chucking empty bottles at shop fronts. I saw the mayhem and very quickly beat a retreat.

Since then, as far as possible, I have just preferred to remain in a quiet place on NYE or at the most, if prevailed Upon by friends, at a private get together or at a Club far away in the Hills somewhere. Unless of course we were outside the country at the time.

But the best place on NYE is one’s own home, amongst one’s own people and Pets.

Nothing comes close to that.

With age comes this kind of thinking.

[ninjatalli]

Originally Posted by am1m

Anyone planning to use the Metro to get from the MG Road/Brigade Road area tonight, please be advised that they plan to shut the MG Road station from 11 pm onwards. (https://www.hindustantimes.com/citie...311591485.html)

The cops say it is because of 'potential overcrowding', but I really don't understand the logic of shutting the biggest station in the vicinity and directing crowds to use the Trinity and Cubbon Park stations, when they are saying the Metro will run till 2 am.

Probably because the MG road corridor from the Central mall/residency road junction to Anil Kumble circle and all nearby roads become one giant walking street during tonight. Like a big mela. If they kept that station open, it'll be non-functioning within half an hour.

Originally Posted by condor

We have come a long way from walking from Brigades back home, about 13km away. But that was different kind of fun.

Well in the hypothetical situation of yours, it would be easier to get a cab from JP Nagar or RV road metro station(s) than to get one from CBD area later tonight. But I wonder when was the last time places like Dairy circle and the other areas on your 13 km route was "walkable" at any time of the year

[condor]

Originally Posted by ninjatalli

But I wonder when was the last time places like Dairy circle and the other areas on your 13 km route was "walkable" at any time of the year

That, my friend, was Once Upon A Time. A time when there were no city taxi's either.

[audioholic]

Originally Posted by am1m

The cops say it is because of 'potential overcrowding', but I really don't understand the logic of shutting the biggest station in the vicinity and directing crowds to use the Trinity and Cubbon Park stations, when they are saying the Metro will run till 2 am.

Well, they need you to prove yourself fit enough to board the metro after a walk, so people are sobered down, get some fresh air, bit by the cold, or discharge the excess intake of liquor and be glad that they are on a train back home and behave

Initially I thought this was a stupid idea to close down MG Road metro but later it made sense to me, else you will have hoards of drunk people trying to make their way into the station right after exiting various pubs and this wouldnt be a good idea for the cops and metro staff. Since there is no legit way to control crowds in the concourses or platform, it is impossible for a few staff to take care of probably hundreds of people in different states of mind.

Had been to Church street last friday, and there was already a lot of police stationed all around the place. Should appreciate their efforts and the sort of shenanigans they have to face today.

[ajmat]

Originally Posted by audioholic

Had been to Church Street last Friday, and there was already a lot of police stationed all around the place. Should appreciate their efforts and the sort of shenanigans they have to face today.

They have been preparing. MG Road /Brigades have set up police points every 200 metres and a Mobile Control Room is in place.

We plan to go to the Club for News Year. Like last year, we will walk over and walk back. Traffic will be thick considering the logjam due to road closures We will pop in at 1030 and leave at 1.30. With Police stationed at every point, as well as people about, it will be like walking down MG Road

[itwasntme]

Happy 2025 for all well-meaning Bangalore ranters!

Had a deeply pleasant carnivorous lunch at Boteco yesterday, did some serious Comm Street shopping and exited CBD by 1600. Was impressed by the relatively light traffic and impending police preps for the hordes.

Shudder to think of Ooty, Coonoor, Coorg etc. where no doubt many exuberant Bangaloreans are.

Back to reality from tomorrow, and the impending Apocalypse from 6th Monday when nearly all schools reopen.

https://youtu.be/nZ_zNUmr8fM?si=wNnbtiN3OEt7Sx0m