Prime Minister to lay foundation stone for Bangalore Metro on June 24

Prime Minister Manmohan Singh is scheduled to lay the foundation stone for the much-awaited Bangalore Metro project on June 24.

According to officials at Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation, the foundation stone laying ceremony will mark the start of work on the Phase I of the Rs 63 billion Metro Rail project, envisaging a 36.5 km long urban rail network through traffic-choked Bangalore.

Phase I of the project includes construction of 192 columns and two corridors connecting Mysore Road and Byappanahalli on one side and Yeshwanthpura and R V Road on the other. The Bangalore Metro project, modelled along the lines of Delhi Metro, is expected to ferry close to a million people back and forth each day after it is fully complete.

The foundation stone laying ceremony will take place at the BRV police parade grounds as the first underground interchange of the Metro Rail project will start from BRV grounds and pass through Minsk Square.

The pace of work on the Bangalore Metro project is expected to gain momentum by September this year after a final decision is taken on tenders, land acquisition and rehabilitation and payment of compensation to property owners. The Bangalore Metro will be implemented over a period of five years.

With more than 2.5 million vehicles plying on the roads of Bangalore, the Metro rail project is expected to decongest the technology hub and provide a solution to the traffic nightmares faced by commuters in the City.