It takes nearly 40 minutes to reach Peenya Industrial Area from Malleswaram by road. But this travel time would be reduced to a mere 18 minutes when Namma Metro starts chugging between the Sampige Road and Peenya Industrial Area from 6 am on Saturday.
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is all set to inaugurate the Green Line- Reach 3, 3A measuring approximately 10 km (9.9 km) between Sampige Road and Peenya Industrial Area on Friday. But the public can use the service from 6 am the next day.
The minimum fare for the line will be Rs 10 and the maximum on the stretch will be Rs 23 which, compared to the BMTC bus services, is cheaper as the BMTC premium buses charge Rs 45 for a 10-km distance. Those buying smart cards will get 17 per cent discount for the same distance, that is Rs 19.
To ensure safety of the passengers, the State government is going to put the Karnataka Industrial Security Force (KISF) personnel on duty at the stations.
Besides, 50-60 surveillance cameras have been installed at every station.
For the convenience of the passengers, 29 passenger lifts and 46 escalators have been installed on the entire line. The BMRCL is also looking forward to rent out the shops.
Transport Minister Ramalinga Reddy assured that the BMTC will provide bus feeder service to various stations. Besides there is also a proposal to connect all the stations with the BMTC buses so that passengers can have a smooth travel.
As a distance of 800 metres between Sampige Road station and Majestic is yet to be connected by Metro, officials said the BMTC is expected to increase bus frequency between Sampige Road and Majestic.
Safety vehicle
The BMRCL has procured two road-cum-rail safety vehicles to rescue people in case of derailment, accidents like collapse of structures, and blockages of access to structures among others.
The road-cum-rail safety vehicles have been designed by Mercedes Benz and costs Rs three crore each. The two such vehicles are stationed at the Peenya depot and each weighs 11,990 kg.
The salient features of the vehicle are that it can run on railway track and road. It is fitted with rail guiding systems. It is loaded with special equipment for performing re-railing of rail vehicles and for carrying out rescue operations on standard gauge tracks.
The rail wheels can be lifted and lowered by hydraulic cylinders and monitoring of hydraulic systems via LED display. The optical acoustic warning in case of pressure loss is another feature of the vehicle.