Bal Bhavan to serve healthy food and fix toy train ticketing at Cubbon Park

Bal Bhavan in Bengaluru is changing its food menu and toy train ticketing system to manage crowds and offer better options for visitors.

Food Menu Changes

What Happened

The Bal Bhavan Society and the Department of Tourism are starting work this week to upgrade the existing Mayura Hotel on the campus. B.R. Naidu, Chairman of the Bal Bhavan Society, stated that the current menu has only three items, which are gobi manchuri, parotta, and noodles. These items contain maida and are not seen as healthy. The authorities will spend around ₹2 crore to upgrade the hotel and kitchen. Processed foods will be banned from the campus, and the new menu will feature fresh fruits, juices, and millet-based food items sourced directly from farmers to consumers.

Toy Train Ticketing

What Happened

Authorities are also changing how tickets are sold for the Putani Railu toy train, which is the main attraction at Bal Bhavan. The train can hold only 60 people at a time, leading to long queues and fights among visitors on weekends and government holidays. To fix this, tickets will soon be issued batch-wise once every 15 minutes. The entry fee is currently ₹50 for adults and ₹20 for children, with the same prices applying separately for the train and boat rides. New amusement activities like the dragon train and columbus have also been added so families have other things to do while waiting for the toy train.

Context

Cubbon Park is a major public park and green space in Bengaluru that draws thousands of visitors, especially families and children on weekends. Public attractions in city parks often face high weekend crowds, leading to long queues for popular rides and the need for better crowd management systems. Authorities frequently look to partner with tourism bodies to improve public amenities and food standards at such recreational spots.