Livemint | Phase-2 of Bengaluru Metro inaugurated

Jan 14,2021

In what could turn into a major relief to the traffic woes of Bengaluru, the six-km long Southern Extension line under phase-2 of Namma Metro was flagged off on Thursday.

The line, from Yelachenahalli to Silk Institute Metro stations, was inaugurated by Union Minister of Housing and Urban Affairs (I/C) Hardeep Singh Puri and Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa.

The route will be opened for commercial operations on Friday.

Phase-2 was sanctioned in 2014 and was supposed to be completed by 2018, but got delayed. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation had said that the line would open in August last year. However, attributing the delay to Covid-19, the opening was postponed, until now.

"The inauguration of the Metro extension line and the FOBs today is a step towards the goals of Bengaluru Mission 2022 to enable faster commute and smart mobility options in the city," the government said in a statement.

The phase-2 covers a route length of 74 km with 62 stations and consists of extensions to both Purple and Green lines of phase-1 in all the four directions. The project is being implemented at a cost of ₹30,695 crores.

The extension has five new stations beyond Yelachenahalli Metro Station on the current operational line -- Konanakunte Cross, Doddakallasandra, Vajarahalli, Thalaghattapura and Silk Institute. The metro corridor along the Kanakapura Road is set to connect residents with Majestic, Yeshwanthpur, Vijayanagar, MG Road and Baiyappanahalli, among other places.

“Currently, the BMTC is operating 944 trips with 107 schedules towards Jambusavari Dinne/Anjanapura, 451 trips with 63 schedules towards Vasanthapura from Konanakunte Cross and 1,134 trips with 121 schedules on Kanakapura Road to different areas," BMTC said in its notification.