Bengaluru's metro stations see huge crowd as commuters return from Deepawali break: Report

Bengaluru commuters faced overwhelming crowds at Namma Metro stations on Thursday morning as thousands returned from the Deepavali break.

The festive calm ended abruptly for Bengaluru commuters on Thursday morning as thousands poured back into the city after the Deepavali break, overwhelming Namma Metro stations across multiple lines. From early dawn, platforms and ticket counters were bustling with officegoers, students, and families returning from holiday trips.

Major hubs in Bengaluru like Majestic and Kengeri saw long queues, and trains were filled to capacity.(X/BengaluruMetroUpdates)

By 5 am, major metro hubs such as Nadaprabhu Kempegowda (Majestic), Kengeri, Yeshwantpur, Dasarahalli, Madavara, and Nagasandra were already witnessing long queues, said a report by The Hindu. The crowd only thickened as long-distance buses and trains began arriving, funneling passengers from different parts of Karnataka and neighbouring states directly into the Metro network.

At the Majestic interchange, which links the Purple and Green lines, the scene resembled a weekday rush-hour surge on steroids. Commuters jostled for space near entry gates and ticket counters, while the escalators and platforms saw slow-moving lines stretching across multiple levels, said the report. Security staff struggled to manage the flow as trains arrived filled to capacity.

A Metro staffer at the Majestic station said there is usually a crowd during peak hours, but today it started before sunrise, and people returning from holidays were in a hurry to reach offices and colleges, which left almost every train packed.

The Kengeri Metro station on the Purple Line faced similar congestion. Long ticketing queues spilled out onto the pavement, and security checks took longer than usual. Many commuters were forced to wait for multiple trains before squeezing in, said the report.

While the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) deployed additional personnel to manage the crowd, regular commuters described the morning as one of the busiest in recent months, a clear sign that post-festival Bengaluru is back to its bustling, traffic-choked rhythm.