After a long wait, the Green Line of Bengaluru’s Namma Metro will be finally thrown open to the public from June 18.
This brings to a close phase 1 of the Namma Metro, which spreads across 42.3 kms of the city.
Green Line – what does it cover
The Green Line connecting Nagasandra in the north and Yelachenahalli in the south, spans a 24.22km stretch. With 24 stations including terminals, the entire journey on the Green Line can be covered in 45 minutes including stoppage.
During peak hours, trains will run at a frequency of four minutes, while at other times, the metro will ply every six minutes.
While the stretch between Sampige Road to Peenya was thrown open in March 2014, the corridor between Peenya and Nagasendra became operational in May 2015.
The latest leg connects the remaining ten stations in the south until Yelachenahalli. Major stops include KR Market, Lal Bagh, South End Circle and Banashankari, which is a prominent bus depot in south Bengaluru.
While the 4km stretch between Sampige Road to National College is underground, the rest of the corridor is elevated.
Commuters will also be able to switch from the Green Line to the Purple Line or the other way around at Majestic, a two-level interchange station without coming out of the paid area. A metro user can buy a single ticket for the complete journey.
Parking facilities will be available at Chickpet, KR Market, National College, Lalbagh, South End Circle, JP Nagar and Yelachenahalli
So, how much does a ticket cost?
While the fare chart for the Green line is yet to be released, the maximum fare is expected to be Rs 55 for the entire north to south corridor, reported New Indian Express citing sources in the Bangalore Metro Rail Corridor Limited (BMRCL). It will also cost the same price to travel from Baiyappanahalli in the east to the Nagasendra in the north. The maximum fare on the Purple Line is presently Rs 40.
Delays and project cost
The BMRCL expects the total number of commuters to shoot up to 5 lakh once both the lines are fully functional, thereby, bringing down the vehicular congestion in the city.
While construction for phase 1 of Namma Metro began in 2007, the project that was slated to be functional from March 2010 witnessed numerous delays. The seven-year delay has cost the exchequer, with the project cost being revised four times. Economic Times reported that phase 1 witnessed a 70% escalation from the initial estimate of Rs 145 crore per kilometre to 340 crore.
The Green Line, which was originally slated to be operational from 2011, has missed nine deadlines, the latest being in May 2016.
The Purple Line which connects Byappanahalli in the east and Mysore road in west can be covered in 35 minutes including stoppage. The Purple Line has been fully functional since April 2016.