Purple and green balloons greeted those who walked into the Mantri Square Sampige Road Metro station, signalling the meeting of the two lines of Namma Metro — east-west corridor (Purple Line) and north-south corridor (Green Line) — on Saturday. A few curious and excited citizens were already waiting to board the first train.
As the station was closed to the public, it wore a deserted look, barring some security personnel, on the ground level. On the platform, the metro train, decked with flowers and balloons, waited to chug into south Bengaluru. The number 7219 and destination Yelachenahalli beamed in the front.
Inside, an anxious Shantiraj was glued to the LCD screen on the platform, waiting for the signal to operate the inaugural trip. Tense faces of officials from the operation and maintenance wing of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) were seen all around.
Around 6.20 p.m., the first train towards south Bengaluru officially started its trip, with BMRCL officials on it amidst the sound of claps.
Many officials were beaming with pride and clicking selfies. “I have been working on this project for the past one year. I am really proud of travelling in it,” M. Basavaraja, who works with the maintenance division, said.
‘First’ commuter
Though the service was not open to the public on Saturday, S.V.S. Rao, a 77-year-old resident of Malleswaram, made his way into the station to see the inauguration. “This train will help me travel with ease to go to my bank. Now, I can get down at National College and walk towards the bank which is around 100 ft away,” he said. Five minutes later, the second train made its move, with large contingents of media personnel, more BMRCL staff members, and a few metro users on board. Stopping at a few stations and skipping a few, it reached Yelachenahalli at 6.53 p.m. As the train made its way on the elevated tracks of south Bengaluru, the excitement of the residents along the viaducts became evident when people from buildings in Banashankari waved at the train. Another passenger, who got into the train at Kempegowda Interchange station, was B. Deendayal, an IT employee. A resident of Kengeri, Mr. Deendayal said he was excited to be part of the second ride of the south line.
Injured
An hour before President Pranab Mukherjee inaugurated the last stretch of the Green Line, a project inspector fractured his leg at the Chikpete metro station while testing an escalator.
According to the police, around 5.20 p.m, Alagappan, 30, an engineer from Johnson Escalator, the contractor for escalators, was testing the escalator in the station when some one switched on the equipment.
While police sources claim that his leg was fractured, BMRCL officials claim that he only sustained an injury on the right leg. He was given first aid at Victoria Hospital and later shifted to St. John’s Hospital.
“There were rumours about the death of three persons. Only this person has been injured and no one was involved in the accident,” a BMRCL official said.