Boon for commuters, boom for entrepreneurs

Boon for commuters, boom for entrepreneurs
The Metro Rail project will make it easy to commute through the city’s busy commercial areas, and spell opportunities for entrepreneurs and property investors, writes Poornima B V


The Bangalore Metro weaves through the bustling commercial areas of the city and this definitely holds promise in terms of increased business activity and commercial development. A city that's well-networked and well-connected can boast of increased commercial activity and other major developments. It promises comprehensive connectivity, convenience, comfort, affordability and reliability.
Business
opportunities
Commuters taking the Metro will invariably want to pick up groceries, milk and other daily essentials along the way to work or back in order to save time. This would invariably mean increased business activity and prospects in areas where metro stations are located. According to Farook Mahmood, President, Bangalore Realtors Association - India, "elsewhere in the world, close proximity to metro stations have meant a rise in real estate value at least by two and a half times. Metro stations worldwide have also created a boom in retail trade close by". Route
The tracks run along the busy business hubs of Majestic, Chickpet, City Market, Vidhana Soudha, Central College and the City Railway Station - these are key areas served by underground tracks running through twin tunnels. According to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation sources, underground stations are being planned only in busy and congested areas where it would be unwise to upset existing structures. The cost of underground stations being too high, these are currently being restricted to very busy areas only.
The Metro Rail system has two dedicated corridors. The east-west corridor runs from Bayappanahalli to Mysore Road and the north-south corridor from Yeshwantapur to J P Nagar (RV Road Terminal). These well-planned corridors will obviously encourage a shift from private vehicles to Metro Rail.
East-west corridor
The east-west corridor will be 18.10 km long, starting from Byappanahalli and terminating at Mysore Road terminal, going via Old Madras Road, Indiranagar, CMH Road, Ulsoor, Trinity Circle, M G Road, Cricket Stadium, Vidhana Soudha, Central College, Majestic, City Railway Station, Magadi Road, Hosahalli, Vijayanagar and Deepanjalinagar.
North-south corridor
The 14.9 km long northsouth corridor will begin at Yeshwanthapur Terminal and terminate at RV Road terminal going via Mahalakshmi Layout, Rajajinagar, Kuvempu Road, Malleswaram, Swastik Theatre, Majestic, Chickpet, City Market, K R Road, Lalbagh, South End Circle and Jayanagar.
Traffic integration
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) will work out a scheme for traffic integration along with the BMTC and the railways at Bayapanahalli Railway Station in the east, Yeshwantapur Railway Station in the north and the Bangalore City Railway Station/Kempegowda bus stand in the heart of the city. The Byappanahalli terminal will have rail connectivity, KSRTC operated buses and BMTC buses, providing easy connectivity to the airport. The Peenya depot will have KSRTC and BMTC bus connections. The Mysore Road terminal will similarly have BMTC, KSRTC and mono rail connectivity that will help commuters from Vijayanagar, Rajarajeshwarinagar and surrounding areas. The R V Road terminal will have BMTC, mono rail connectivity at Banashankari, providing connectivity to residential layouts in Jayanagar, J P Nagar and other surrounding layouts.
Facilities
The necessary infrastructure for automatic ticket collecting systems and passenger facilities are being planned. The entire system is operated with an integrated network of telecommunication, fare control and fire detection, fire fighting systems as well as onsite and off-site emergency managements systems. The idea is to make it so convenient for passengers to board the Metro Rail that they don't have to stop at every point for collecting parking tickets, train tickets and so on. The Metro Rail authorities are working out a plan to ensure a kind of automated single ticket delivery system that would ensure that commuters can hop in and out of trains with ease.
Aesthetics
Plans have been put in place to ensure that it's aesthetically appealing as well. There is also an increased potential for greenery both along the corridor and other selected areas. The corridors will be visually reemphasised by garden belts beneath the viaducts and the ramps would also be landscaped. As the tracks will either be underground or elevated, no major loss of space is envisaged except for ramps.
Some features Number of stations (in all): 37 (of which four will be large terminals) Number of stations in phase one: 8 Width of viaducts (for two tracks): 10 metres Number of platforms: 2 in each station Number of tracks: 2 (one for each way) Number of trains in phase one: 20 Number of coaches on each train: 3 (3 more to be added according to capacity increase) Passenger capacity (three coaches): 1,000 Passenger capacity in six coaches: 2,038 Maximum point-to-point travel time (entire project): 30 minutes Frequency of trains: Every three minutes, 6 a.m. to 11 p.m.