Trains to reach Bengaluru airport cancelled. Here is why

The decision came after the railway department observed poor occupancy in many trains to Bengaluru airport.

A total of ten trains to Bengaluru’s Kempegowda International Airport from various stations in the city are cancelled, said an announcement by South Western Railways (SWR). The decision came after the railway department observed poor occupancy in many trains to Bengaluru airport, which were started for better connectivity between the city and the airport.

The MEMU trains were introduced to make airport travel less economical and faster(Subhankar Chakraborty/HT PHOTO)

According to SWR, 06531 KSR Bengaluru City - Devanahalli, 06533 Devanahalli - Yelahanka, 06534 Yelahanka - KIA, 06535 Devanahalli - Bengaluru Cantonment, 06536 Bengaluru Cantonment - Devanahalli, 06537 Devanahalli - Bengaluru Cantonment, 06538 Bengaluru Cantonment - Devanahalli, 06539 Devanahalli - Yelahanka, 06540 Yelahanka - Devanahalli, and 06532 Devanahalli - KSR Bengaluru services are cancelled between June 1 to 3, June 5 to 10 and June 12 to 17. SWR has also cancelled few other services that pass through the Bengaluru airport station.

The MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) trains were introduced to make airport travel less economical and faster, considering the distance to Bengaluru airport from most parts of the city. These were significantly cheaper for passengers as the Bengaluru airport express train fare is set at Rs. 30 - Rs. 35 per head. This compares to BMTC Vayu Vajra’s average fare of around Rs. 200 - Rs. 500 and cab fares through ride-hailing apps that can cost over Rs. 2,000 depending on the location in the city.