The Hindu : Karnataka / Bangalore News : Metro likely to cost twice as much as bus travel

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Sunday, Jun 25, 2006

Karnataka

Karnataka - Bangalore

Metro likely to cost twice as much as bus travel

Staff Reporter

The frequency of metro trains will be four minutes initially

METRO LAUNCHED: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh laying the foundation stone of the Bangalore Metro Rail project in Bangalore on Saturday. On the dais with him (from right) are Union Ministers P. Chidambaram and S. Jaipal Reddy, Governor T.N. Chaturve di, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy and Union Minister of State K.H. Muniyappa. — Photo: V. Sreenivasa Murthy

BANGALORE: Commuters will have to pay much more than the bus fare to travel by the Bangalore Metro when it is ready.

According to a brochure distributed at the inauguration of the project on Saturday, the fare will vary between Rs. 7 and Rs. 15. It is Rs. 7 for a distance of 0 to 2 km (bus fare is Rs. 3), Rs. 10 for 2 to 6 km (bus fare is Rs. 5), Rs. 15 for 12 to 15 km (bus fare is Rs. 8) and Rs. 15 for 15 to 20 km (bus fare is Rs. 9).

The brochure puts the metro rail fare at one-and-a-half times the bus fare whereas it is nearly double.

It says the metro rail journey will be comfortable, quick, safe, economical and pollution free. Trains will run on electric power and will require only one-fifth the energy per passenger km compared to road-based systems. Thus it is expected to save about 22.3 per cent on running costs.

By direct and indirect means (such as use of fewer private vehicles and less pollution) the project is expected to save Rs. 1,155 crore annually for Bangaloreans.

Out of the 33 km of the entire network, 6.76 km of the track will go underground near the Vidhana Soudha, Majestic, City Railway Station, and City Market. Elsewhere it will be elevated.

The east-west corridor is 18.1 km, starting from Byappanahalli and terminating at Mysore Road after passing through Old Madras Road, Indiranagar, CMH Road, Ulsoor, Trinity Circle, M.G. Road, Cricket Stadium, Vidhana Soudha, Central College, Majestic, City Railway Station, Magadi Road, Hosahalli, Vijayanagar and Deepanjalinagar.

The 14.9-km north-south corridor will begin at Yeshwantpur (near Jalahalli Cross) and terminate on R.V. Road, via Mahalakshmi Layout, Rajajinagar, Kuvempu Road, Malleswaram, Swastik, Majestic, Chickpet, City Market, K.R. Road, Lalbagh, South End Circle and Jayanagar.

Frequency

The frequency of metro trains will be four minutes initially. This will go up to three minutes by 2021. Initially 100-odd coaches will be used, expanding gradually to 270, V. Madhu, Managing Director, BMRC, said during the inauguration of the project.

The planners have adopted standard gauge (1.435 m) for the project whereas the Delhi Metro runs on broad-gauge. The trains will achieve a maximum speed of 80 km/h.

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