Popular tourist spot Nandi Hills gets electric train connectivity from Bengaluru. Details
The train will halt at Nandi station which is roughly two kilometers from the base of Nandi Hills.
Bengaluru’s popular weekend destination, Nandi Hills, now has an electric train connectivity as Southwestern Railways (SWR) announced the extension of MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) train services between Chikkaballapur and Devanahalli. The new electric train service started on Monday.
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According to reports, 06593/06594 Yeswantpur-Chikkaballapur-Yeswantpu, 06531/06532 Bengaluru Cantonment-Chikkaballapur-Cantonment, and 06535/06538 Chikkaballapur-Bengaluru Cantonment-Chikkaballapur are the MEMU trains that will be halted at Nandi Hills. The train will halt at Nandi station which is roughly two kilometers from the base of Nandi Hills.
During the weekends, especially the long weekends, the Nandi Hills route sees a traffic grid lock as thousands of people flock to the tourist spot, which is just 60 kilometers away from Bengaluru. Both bikers and car drivers usually wait for hours to reach the peak, which is supposed to be explored during the sunrise. The new train services are expected to ease the commute to Nandi Hills but, however, it is still going to be a task to reach the hilltop without a personal vehicle.
The railway department has been experimenting with the MEMU trains by deploying them on busy routes. The MEMU trains became operational in July and Indian Railways said these would run six days a week from different stations in the country.
Last year MEMU trains were started to Kempegowda International Airport from different railway stations in Bengaluru. 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.