After a delay of over one year, the much-awaited Reach 3B of Namma Metro will finally open on May 1.It is an extension of Reach 3 and 3A between Sampige and Peenya Industry. It will have three new stations including Jalahalli, Dasarahalli and Nagasandra.
With the beginning of commercial operations on May 1, people working in various factories and industries in the area will benefit from the service. Officials say the fares for the 3 new stations will be in proportion to the existing fares on Reach 3 and 3A. Union Urban Development Minister M Venkaiah Naidu, who has been closely monitoring the progress of Namma Metro, along with the Chief Minister Siddaramaiah will inaugurate the line.
The Commissioner of Railway Safety (Metro) had given safety certificate after completing the mandatory inspection on this stretch, in the first week of April.
BMRCL Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola said: “The stretch will be inaugurated on May 1 and the fares will be in proportion to the existing fares on this line since it is not a new Reach but an extension of the present 10-kilometre line.”
As of now, the minimum fares on Reach 3 is Rs 10 and the maximum between Sampige Station and Peenya Station is Rs 23.
Already, all the civil and construction work are over at the three stations- Jalahalli, Dasarahalli and Nagasandra. Once the stretch opens, it will add a length of 3.7 kilometres to the existing 10-kilometre line that constitute Reach 3 and 3A.
Reach 3 and 3A that runs between Sampige Road and Peenya Industry was opened on March 1, 2014, and the BMRCL had then announced that the Reach 3B would be opened within the next 3 months but that deadline could not be met.