The third Indian city to have Metro

The third Indian city to have Metro
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: With the Project Investment Board (PIB) giving the green signal for the much-delayed Metro Rail project, Bangalore will become the third city in India to have such a mass transit system, after Kolkata and New Delhi.

In fact, the Garden City will be the first to have a standard gauge system. In Kolkata, the oldest in the country and in the national capital, the system runs on broad gauge.

Once the Rs 6,300-crore Metro rail gets on track, it will considerably reduce travelling time, bring relief to chaotic traffic and reduce the number of accidents. Though it is expected to be an efficient its fares will be comparable to BMTC. A bigger advantage will be the single ticket, which will allow you to ride on the Metro and bus as well.

Experts say the City roads are unable to cope with the huge explosion in vehicles, which now stand at around 23 lakh. With 800 new vehicles being registered in the city every day, a few more lakh vehicles will hit the road soon. ‘‘Only an efficient mass transit system can help,’’ experts said.

The partly elevated, underground, surface Metro Rail will have two corridors: East-West connecting Magadi Road and Byappanhalli and North-South linking Peenya with JP Nagar. The system will carry nine lakh passengers every day.