 "Bangalore welcomes Namma metro")
The first phase of the long awaited Bangalore metro has been finally launched. The first train will be flagged off by transport Minister Kamal Nath. The metro will connect Baiyyappanahalli and M.G. Road and is expected to reduce the traffic volume in areas like Majestic (Kempegowda Bus station and Bangalore Railway Station), Sampige Road, Hudson Circle and M.G. Road. The metro will be open to the public from 4pm this evening. Five trains will ply the line and the frequency will be every ten minutes.
Bangalore is the 3rd Indian city after Kolkata and Delhi to have a mass rapid transport system. According to the official website, the primary aim of the Bangalore Metro is to encourage commuters to use public transport. Positioned as a complementary, rather than competitive mode of transport, the Bangalore Metro will work in tandem with other transport systems like buses and mono rails, which will connect at major junctions as feeders.
But even before the Namma takes off, property prices in Bangalore around the routes are seeing a spike in prices. According to CNN-IBN, realty rates between Old Madras Road and Byappanahalli have shot up from Rs 3,000 per square feet to Rs 6,000 per sq ft and builders are rushing to start projects along the first phase of metro.
“Already the Old Madras road where the metro has started is in the limelight, builders are launching several projects. We are also launching two to three projects there. The impact has started,” Salarpuria Sattva Group Chairman Bijay Agarwal told CNN-IBN.
The second phase of Bangalore metro, which will be launched in December 2012 connecting most suburbs to the commercial hubs of the city, is expected to push a further hike in prices.
Meanwhile the Bangalore Metro is also trending on Twitter India as various reports on the launch as well as reactions to it are tweeted by people in and around Bangalore. The top tweet however, is by twitter user Ramesh Srivats who quipped, “No point inviting Kiran Bedi to the Bangalore Metro launch. She’ll take some bus instead and claim the Metro ticket fare.”
Watch the CNN-IBN report on the inauguration of Bangalore’s Namma Metro:
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 "Yodha: How Karan Johar and Sidharth Malhotra created history by unveiling the trailer mid-air at 37,000 feet")
 "Here's looking at how Anant Ambani lost 108 kilos in mere 18 months ahead of his wedding with Radhika Merchant")
 "Actress-politician Jaya Prada declared ‘absconding’ by court, arrest warrant issued for this reason")
 "'Pankaj Udhas Was A Little Reluctant To Sing Chitthi Aayi Hai In Naam': Mahesh Bhatt")