Bengaluru: Metro, the Education Express!

Bengaluru: As the Metro chugs southwards, it has found patrons in more than just first-timers and tourists. On the first day of full-fledged commercial operation, it would not be wrong to say that Namma Metro will also help the education sector, as it traverses the education hub of Bengaluru.

K.R. Market Metro Station
Metro rail in the more archaic parts of the city like KR Market is a blessing for the numerous colleges here. Safe and fast, are the appealing factors for youngsters.

Bengaluru Medical College
Making her way to one of the KR Market Metro gates, after attending classes was Keerthana from Bengaluru Medical College.

“It literally takes only a minute to reach the KR Market Metro station from my college. I find this very reliable and will use this every day. It will also be helpful for patients who need to go to Vani Vilas and Victoria Hospital," she said.

Vani Vilas Govt  PU College
The students of Vani Vilas Government Women's PU College are equally lucky. Enviably enough, their campus is right behind the station entrance, connected by 3 steps.

“It is very convenient, because we exit our college and the station entrance is right there. It is going to be useful to all of us, but the cost is a bit high. There should be a student discount for monthly Metro passes, just like in BMTC buses," said Sumaiya, a student at Vani Vilas. Manjunath, a physics lecturer at the college, said, “Surely Metro is going to be beneficial to me and the students who come from Shivajinagar, Basvanagudi, K.R. Market and Chamarajpet. Theproblem is the high fares. The girls who study here come from very poor families and cannot afford the Metro."

“Parents prefer sending their children here as it is a Government College, making it affordable, and moreover, it is only for women. 400 girls study here and they can use Metro only with discounted student passes," he said.

Indian Medical Association
Varun, a medical student, comes often to use the Indian Medical Association library, which is on the same line as the Tipu Sultan Palace.“I stay in Jalahalli and come to KR Market a lot to visit the IMA. For students, this basic connectivity is the best we can get. I used to ride back until now, which would take me two-and-a-half hours during peak hour traffic. Today, it took me 30 minutes from Jalahalli Metro to KR Market Metro,” a happy Varun said.

The Bangalore Institute of Technology and KIMS Hospital and Research Centre are also close to the Metro station and are already connected by regular BMTC buses. MINTO Regional Institute of Ophthalmology, Fort High School and many others are also within the Metro's catchment area.

Aruna, a Hindi teacher at St Joseph's High School and her son, Roshan, who studies in the same school, have just begun using the Metro.

“I stay in Sarakki near JP Nagar Metro Station. Usually, we wake up very early and drive because the traffic takes up a lot of time, at least an hour. Today, it took us 40 minutes from home to St. Joseph's school near MG Road Metro station," Aruna said.

National College Metro Station
National College Metro Station, by the looks of it, sees the highest student footfall. The walk-ability from the schools and colleges is a real game changer.

National High School
8th Grade students of National High School, Karthik and Dhanush, were visibly thrilled to use the Metro. “We are using the new line for the second time. It is very good and I am very happy to ride on it. I used to walk from S.L.N. hostel in KR Market, which took me half-an-hour. By bus, it costs just Rs 10 which is the same price as Metro. This is faster though," said Karthik

Mahaveer Jain College
“My brother and I study in the same college. We live in Gandhi Bazaar and we used to come on a bike. Today, it took me just 5 minutes by the Metro till National College station. Also, it is just a 2 minute walk from my college to the Metro," said Divya, a first year student at Jain PU College in VV Puram.

Unlike Divya, her friend, Aishwarya is not a first timer on the Metro. “I have been using Metro regularly. I stay in Jayanagar and normally it takes 15 minutes by bus. Now that Green Line is connected, I take the Metro which takes the same amount of time but is more convenient," she said.

All for a glimpse of Namma Metro
Small, playful, excited and barefoot, but jumping around the entrance of National College Metro Station were Mahesh, Renuka, Chandru and Manjunath, in their school uniforms. The four kids live and study in the same place and have no use for the Metro. “We just want to see what the Metro train looks like but we can't go inside, so we are just playing here,” said Renuka, who along with the others went and got themselves frisked for the fun of it.