Karnataka CM takes ride on new Metro line in Bengaluru

Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah on Thursday took a ride on the new north-south line of Bengaluru Metro Rail Service ahead of its opening to public from Sunday.

President Pranab Mukherjee will flag off the service on the new line on Saturday from the state Secretariat (Vidhan Soudha) at the city centre, 2 km from Majestic station.

Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George, Law and Parliamentary Affairs Minister T.B. Jayachandra and Metro officials accompanied Siddaramaiah on the 30-minute ride from Majestic station at the city centre to Yelachenahalli staton in the south-west suburb and back.

The Chief Minister did not address the media later but left hurriedly.

The 24-km Green Line connects Nagasandra in the north-west suburb and Yelachenahalli with Majestic station as the central hub for inter-change on the city's east-west (Purple Line) corridor.

The service on the route will run 4 km underground from Sampige Road station to National College via the Majestic terminal.

With 24 stations, the Metro service covers the Green Line in 45 minutes, with 30-second halts at each station en route.

Though the maximum fare on the north-south route is Rs 55, the BMRCL is yet to finalise fares for eight in-between stations.

"We will finalise the fares in a few days," Bengaluru Metropolitan Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola said.

Metro service on the north-south corridor from Sampige Road station to Peenya station in the north-west suburb began in March 2014, and from Peenya to Nagasandra station in May 2015.

"About five lakh commuters are expected to use the 43-km Phase-I Metro service on the north-south and east-west corridors daily when fully functional," Kharola said.

The Phase-I project work began in April 2007, but inordinate delays and cost overruns forced extension of original deadline of 2010 to 2017.

The first Metro service here began in October 2011 between M.G. Road and Baiyappanahalli in the eastern suburb.

The east-west corridor, which connects Baiyappanahalli station to Mysore Road station in the west in 35 minutes, has been operational since April 2016.

--IANS

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