BENGALURU, Jan 4: A much-needed train service to Kempegowda airport on the outskirts of the city was inaugurated on Monday morning.

The first of the 10 trains on the airport line rolled out from the KSR Bengaluru Railway Station at 4.45 am to reach the new Halt Station at the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) at 5.50 am, an hour and five minutes after departure.

The ticket costs Rs 10. The travel to the airport used to cost Rs 250 by bus or Rs 800 by taxi. The service is not available on Sundays. The airport is 35 km away from city centre and the distance between the Halt Station and the airport is 3.5 km.

However, after alighting from the train the air passengers have to take a shuttle bus to reach the airport.

The Halt Station was built by the Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL). The shuttle bus service is also run by BIAL, free-of-cost. The train service is run by the South Western Railways (SWR).

Of the current five pairs of trains, two are from KSR Bengaluru Station, one from Yelahanka and two from Yeshwanthpur.

"This will go a long way in enhancing last-mile connectivity to Bengaluru airport, (it will) benefit lakhs of people and reduce the traffic congestion drastically,” Railway Minister Piyush Goyal said.