New Delhi, Aug 9 (IANS) Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to visit Karnataka on Sunday, where he will launch multiple metro projects in Bengaluru and flag off three Vande Bharat express trains from the IT city. The Vande Bharat Express, being 11th in the Southern state, fulfils the long-pending demand for premium train service between Bengaluru and Belagavi and is set to give new momentum to seamless connectivity between the 2 cities.

PM Modi will flag off three Vande Bharat Express trains at KSR Railway Station in Bengaluru at around 11 a.m. Thereafter, he will inaugurate the Yellow line of Bangalore metro and undertake a metro ride from RV Road (Ragigudda) to Electronic City metro station. At around 1 p.m., the Prime Minister will inaugurate and lay the foundation stone for urban connectivity projects in Bengaluru. He will also address a public function. He will later inaugurate the Yellow line from RV Road (Ragigudda) to Bommasandra of Bangalore Metro Phase-2 project, with a route length of over 19 km with 16 stations worth around Rs 7,160 crore. With the opening of this yellow line, the operational metro network in Bengaluru will increase to over 96 km serving a large population in the region.

Prime Minister Modi will also lay the foundation stone for Bangalore Metro Phase-3 project worth over Rs 15,610 crore. The total route length of the project will be more than 44 km with 31 elevated stations. The 3 Vande Bharat Express trains that will be inaugurated by PM Modi will connect Bengaluru with Belagavi, Amritsar with Sri Mata Vaishno Devi Katra and Nagpur (Ajni) with Pune. The Bengaluru-Belagavi train cut travel time for commuters by almost an hour. It will leave Belagavi at 5.20 am and reach KSR Bengaluru at 1.50 pm. In the return route, it will depart from KSR Bengaluru at 2.20 pm and reach Belagavi at 10.40 pm.

The fare from Bengaluru to Belagavi is set at Rs 2,905 and Rs 2,535 respectively, for the executive chair car while those opting for the regular AC chair car will have to pay Rs 1,575 and Rs 1,264 respectively. These high-speed trains are set to enhance regional connectivity, reduce travel time and provide a world-class travel experience to the passengers.