BENGALURU: Finishing works are going on 24x7 at the six new Metro stations which form part of the Mysuru Road-Kengeri Line, slated for launch on Sunday (August 29) morning. The Kengeri Bus Terminal Metro station, however, is lagging far behind the rest of the stations with one of the parking lots set to take one-and-a-half months to complete.
The New Indian Express visited the 7.5-km Reach 2 Extension Line which will have the elevated stations of Nayandahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Jnana Bharati, Pattanagere, Kengeri Bus Terminal and Kengeri.
Electrical work, testing of Automatic Fare Collection gates, checks inside the Station Controller Room and cleaning work were on at a feverish pace inside the stations.
Contractors working across stations expressed confidence that it would all be readied before the launch date.
All the stations are set to have parking lots. Work on the lots at both Kengeri and Kengeri Bus Terminal stations have just begun. While the smaller one at Kengeri is expected to be ready, the two levels in the basement of the Kengeri Bus Terminal which can house 250 two-wheelers and 250 cars are nowhere near completion.
A S Prabhu, a contractor with ETA, told The New Indian Express, “One of the levels, the upper basement can be completed. But the lower basement will be ready for parking in 1.5 months time from now.” Work on the car parking space will be readied first, he added. The space earmarked for two-wheelers was swamped with weeds and other debris
The ground floor of the Kengeri Bus Terminal too was scattered with signages and other electrical boards for which intallation work is yet to start.
Asked about it, Anjum Parwez, BMRCL Managing Director told The New Indian Express, “Work in all stations will be ready before the launch. I will check on the parking lot at Kengeri Bus Terminal and get back.”
Only 10-minute frequency
The MD also stressed that Metro trains will operate along the new stretch with a 10-minute gap between trains. “The same is being done along the new stretches. During peak or non-peak, the trains will be run only at 10-minute intervals,” he said.
With this launch, the 18.1 km East-West Corridor of Phase-I from Baiyappanahalli to Mysore Road now gets extended and touches 25.6 km. The fare between the two terminals of Baiyappanahalli and Kengeri Bus Terminal will be Rs 56, Parwez added.