BENGALURU: Chief Minister H D Kumaraswamy on Thursday flagged off the second six-car Metro train and also inaugurated the much-delayed Foot Over Bridge (FOB) at Majestic.
The Chief Minister, in the presence of his deputy G Parameshwara, flagged off the second six-car Metro train at 11am at Kempegowda Metro Station. BMRCL will operate the second six-car train, which has its first coach reserved for women, also on the Purple Line (Byappanahalli to Mysuru Road), since it is busier than the Green Line ((Nagasandra to Yelachenahalli). However, it may be operated as a loop train on the Green Line based on the demand.
The first six-car train is also running along the Purple Line since June 23. With the addition of three coaches, a six-car train can carry 2,004 passengers, more than double the existing capacity of 975.
Further, BMRCL is planning to introduce two to three, six-car trains from November onwards, initially on Purple Line and subsequently on Green Line.
All 50 trains are expected to get six coaches by June 2019. The induction of the second six-car metro train is expected to reduce congestion in
Namma Metro particularly during peak hours. It is also expected to further increase the Metro's average daily ridership of 4 lakh.
Kumaraswamy also inaugurated the FOB connecting Kempegowda Interchange Metro Station with bus terminals of BMTC, KSRTC terminals at Majestic. A new entry point (facing Danvanthari Road) to access the FOB was also opened.
It may be recalled that the FOB which was completed about five months ago was not thrown open to the public since a ceremonial inauguration hadn’t been conducted. Kempegowda Majestic Metro station, operational since 2016, is one of the busiest stations which helps passengers switch quickly between various modes of transport, and the FOB has been long-awaited for better multi-model integration.
H D Kumaraswamy (File Photo)
