The Hindu, Bangalore edition recently reported that Bangaloreans will see the first construction activity of the Rs. 6,400-crore Metro Rail by March 26 starting from M.G. Road between Kumble Circle and Kamaraj Road on the one hand and on Old Madras Road near Byappanahalli on the other. Huge machines will start digging bores to erect pillars for the 7-km viaduct from M.G. Road to Byappanahalli.

The exact location of work and traffic diversion plans would be announced in a week’s time as well, according to BMRCL M.D Mr. V.Madhu.

Not a single day passes when governments all over India, particularly in the Metros, are announcing some plans for a Metro. Not for nothing does John Triplett, head of India operations for Parsons Brinkerhoff, the U.S. firm that was program manager for the Delhi Metro say ” When I arrived on the project, there wasn’t a lot of optimism about India. Now projects are succeeding and there’s a lot more optimism. India can do it.”

This report in Business Week adds so much to my always present enthusiasm about Namma Metro. Here is one line that appealed to me the most:

The metro in Delhi is already helping to take the edge off Delhi’s mammoth traffic and pollution problems. An average of 500,000 commuters travel underground daily instead of driving their own cars and scooters or packing into buses. Pollution levels in Delhi are down by a third, and they see no need to add to the city’s fleet of 7,500 buses. Congestion has eased to where those buses now travel an average of 11 mph. That’s up from around 8 mph before the metro was built — a serious achievement in a city with world-class traffic jams.

Can’t wait for Namma Metro work to begin!!!