Until Namma Metro started rolling, a ride on Puttani Express—the toy train in Cubbon Park—used to give bring joy to children, who now prefer a ride on the real thing instead.
Until Namma Metro started rolling, a ride on Puttani Express—the toy train in Cubbon Park—used to give bring joy to children, who now prefer a ride on the real thing instead.
The much-loved toy train in Jal Bal Bhavan, Cubbon Park, is almost abandoned now. The park authorities say before the launch of Metro, the amusement park used to get about 3,000 visitors every weekend. Since Metro has started plying, they said, the number of visitors has dropped to 500.
One of the officers in charge of Bal Bhavan said they had heard the parents say, “Why take a ride on this toy train when we could actually board a top-class, new-aged Metro train in the same amount of money!” A ride to the last Metro station and back costs Rs30, which is the same as the price of a ticket for Puttani Express. That the MG Road Metro station is only half-a-km away from the amusement park is another reason that is encouraging the parents to take their children for a ride aboard the real thing.
“Looks like the 44-year-old Puttani has finally lost its steam,” the official added.
The Bal Bhavan authorities said they, too, along with their families had gone for a trip on the Metro when it was launched, as they had holiday that day. “Little did we know that every Bangalorean and the people visiting the city would forget our toy Puttani, once a tourist attraction,” he added.
Out of a handful of people who were at the Bal Bhavan on Tuesday, DNA spoke to 10 and asked what would they prefer: a ride on Metro or Puttani Express. Only one out of 10 chose Puttani.
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