Bengaluru metro adds 7.5 km to western extension line

Bengaluru: The Western Extension Metro Line under Phase-2 of Bengaluru's Namma Metro, was inaugurated by Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri, on Sunday. The 7.5-km long stretch connects Mysore Road to Kengeri Metro Station.

Noting that the city accounts for nearly 38 per cent of total IT exports from the country, the minister said, "The Inauguration of the Western Extension Metro Line today is a step towards enabling faster commute and smart mobility options in the City."

The minister further said that there has been a paradigm shift in the approach towards urbanisation and the government is determined to provide world class infrastructure to the citizens, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

The Western Extension, inaugurated on Sunday, has six new stations - Nayandanahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Jnanabharathi, Pattanagere, Kengeri Bus Terminal and Kengeri Metro Stations, beyond Mysore Road Metro Station on the currently operational 18.1 km long line. In all, the East-West purple line will now become 25.6 km long, with 26 stations.

The construction on this section was started in Feb 2016. According to officials, to build the line, the BMRCL has spent Rs 1,560 crore for infrastructure and Rs 360 crore for land acquisition.

Stating that Bengaluru is an international city and one cannot imagine an international city without a metro, Chief Minister Basawaraj Bommai said, Metro is not only a lifeline of Bengaluru, it should be its "future line".

"The connectivity of the people, and travel comfort of the people is very important for metropolis like Bengaluru.....we need a very good public transport system like metro for this," he said, adding that he has directed BMRCL officials to complete the metro works under Phase II by 2024, one year earlier than the present deadline of 2025.

Further extension from Kengeri to Challaghatta (2 km) is scheduled for completion by March 2022