PM Modi inaugurates ₹7,160 crore Yellow Line Metro, lays foundation for ₹15,610 crore Phase-3
Bengaluru:
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday inaugurated the Yellow Line of the Bangalore Metro, built at a cost of around ₹7,160 crore, and laid the foundation stone for the ₹15,610 crore Phase-3 project.
He also flagged off three Vande Bharat Express trains from KSR Bengaluru Railway Station.
The Yellow Line, running from RV Road (Ragigudda) to Bommasandra, spans over 19 km with 16 stations. With its launch, Bengaluru’s operational metro network expands to over 96 km. The new line is expected to cut travel time between Basavanagudi and Electronic City and improve ease of living and working for lakhs of commuters.
The upcoming Phase-3 project will cover more than 44 km with 31 elevated stations, serving residential, industrial, commercial, and educational areas. The PM said the Orange Line, part of Phase-3, will work in tandem with the Yellow Line to handle daily travel for 25 lakh passengers.
The Vande Bharat Express services flagged off include Bengaluru–Belagavi, Nagpur (Ajni)–Pune, and Shri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra–Amritsar. Modi said the Bengaluru–Belagavi service will boost trade and tourism, while the other two routes will benefit lakhs of devotees and enhance regional connectivity.
In his address, the Prime Minister praised Bengaluru as a symbol of “New India’s rise” and lauded its contribution to IT, innovation, and manufacturing. He cited recent infrastructure growth, noting that in 2014 India’s metro services operated in just 5 cities, but now run over 1,000 km in 24 cities — the third-largest metro network globally. Railway electrification has more than doubled, from about 20,000 km before 2014 to over 40,000 km in the last 11 years.
Airport numbers have increased from 74 in 2014 to over 160, while operational national waterways rose from 3 to 30. Health and education infrastructure has also grown: AIIMS from 7 to 22, medical colleges from 387 to 704, adding over 1 lakh medical seats. IITs have expanded from 16 to 23, IIITs from 9 to 25, and IIMs from 13 to 21.
On housing, the PM said over 4 crore pucca houses have been built under the Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana, with plans for 3 crore more. Since 2014, over 12 crore toilets have been constructed. Exports have grown from $468 billion to $824 billion, with electronics exports up from $6 billion to nearly $38 billion, and automobile exports from $16 billion to more than double that figure.
Modi stressed self-reliance in technology, highlighting Bengaluru’s role in AI, semiconductors, and manufacturing. He called for products meeting “Zero Defect, Zero Effect” standards.
The event was attended by Karnataka Governor Thaawarchand Gehlot, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, and Union Ministers Manohar Lal, H.D. Kumaraswamy, Ashwini Vaishnaw, V. Somanna, and Shobha Karandlaje.
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