Prime Minister Narendra Modi takes a metro ride in Bengaluru following the inauguration of the
| Photo Credit: PMO India/Twitter
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Saturday inaugurated the Krishnarajapura to Whitefield Namma Metro line which could benefit lakhs of IT professionals working in the tech corridor of Bengaluru.
The 13.71 km long stretch is part of the extended purple line from Baiyappanahalli to Whitefield (15.50 km) built under phase II of Namma Metro. The commercial operations will commence from Sunday morning, according to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) officials.
Amid fanfare, Mr. Modi reached the Whitefield (Kadugodi) metro station at around 1 p.m. and inaugurated the stretch. He later took a ride in the train with school children as well as metro workers and employees from Whitefield to Sri Satya Sai hospital and back.
The Prime Minister was also spotted buying a ticket at the Whitefield station before going on the train ride. He was accompanied by Karnataka governor Thaawarchand Gehlot and Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai.
With the operation of the new line, Bengaluru will have 69.66 km of metro network with 63 stations. The city will have the second largest operational metro network after Delhi.
At a project cost of ₹4,249 crore, the opening of the line will benefit five to six lakh people living in the area, according to officials of BMRCL.
The line will have 12 stations. BMRCL will run five trains on the line with a frequency of 10 minutes, and the time taken to travel between two destinations will be 23 minutes.
The 2-km line from Baiyappanahalli to Krishnarajapura is likely to open by mid-year. Between the two stations, a new station — Benniganahalli (previously known as Jyotipuram) — will be opened.
