The much-awaited Whitefield-Challaghatta metro corridor (Purple Line) is set to commence passenger services on Monday.
“We wish to inform the public regarding the opening of passenger services on the two sections between Krishnarajapura to Baiyappanahalli, a distance of 2.10 km with one station in between at Benniganahalli and the other beyond Kengeri to Challaghatta a distance of 2.05 km with effect from 09 October,” Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) said in a statement on Sunday. With the opening of these two vital sections, the entire east-west corridor (Purple Line) from Whitefield (Kadugodi) to Challaghatta will be complete with a total length of 43.49 km and 37 stations.
PM Modi to inaugurate officially within two weeks
The inauguration of these two metro stretches, much awaited for some time now, has taken a political colour now.
As the State government had written to the Union government seeking clearance to inaugurate these stretches on October 5, in a surprise move the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) responded on Sunday, saying Prime Minister Narendra Modi will dedicate these stretches to the nation formally in two weeks and directed officials to start passenger operations immediately. This follows repeated demands by Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya to open these stretches for passengers. The ruling Congress had planned a big inaugural event, which will now be headlined by Mr. Modi. In the run-up to the Lok Sabha elections, both parties have been trying to take credit for infrastructure in the city.
“These two sections are vital from the perspective of commuters in Bengaluru, as both will provide seamless connectivity from the east to the west parts of the city. In view of the above, these two sections of the metro lines should be opened for passenger service immediately on the morning of October 9, 2023, without any formal or informal official function, so that daily commuters can immediately benefit from the opening of these two important sections,” the letter from MoHUA stated.
Delayed opening
Even though the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) approved the Byappanahalli-K.R. Pura section on September 25 and granted clearance for Kengeri-Challaghatta on September 30, the State and Union governments had delayed finalising the opening date. This prompted people to question the authorities on social media platforms about the delay.
Frequency and fare
According to the BMRCL, the metro journey from Challaghatta to Whitefield is expected to last approximately 76 minutes, with a fixed end-to-end fare of ₹60. The BMRCL also stated in their release that the service frequency for the Whitefield (Kadugodi) – Pattandur Agrahara section will be 10 minutes and 5 minutes on the Pattandur Agrahara – Mysuru Road section. During the morning peak hours, the frequency at Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Station, Majestic, – M.G. Road section will be every three minutes, and between Mysuru Road and Challaghatta, it will be 10 minutes. The last train from Whitefield (Kadugodi) shall depart at 10.45 p.m. and from rest of the terminal stations at 11.05 p.m. while the revenue services will start at 5 a.m. from all the terminal stations.
Bengaluru metro second-largest metro network in the country:
Before the Karnataka Assembly elections dates were announced, on March 25, 2023, Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the metro line from K.R. Pura to Whitefield, spanning a distance of 13.71 km and comprising 12 stations. However, a segment of nearly 2 km between Baiyappanahalli and K.R. Pura remained unopened due to pending work.
Due to the unconnected stretch, metro commuters were compelled to rely on a feeder service covering a 5 km distance to reach K.R. Puram after disembarking at Baiyappanahalli. The feeder services, operated by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), are used by approximately 8,000 passengers daily.
With the entire Purple Line now operational, Namma Metro officials anticipate a significant increase in daily ridership in both Purple and Green lines. It is expected that approximately 7.5 lakh passengers may travel on both the stretches each day on weekdays. Previously, on weekdays, around 6.5 lakh passengers were using the metro services daily.
The complete Bengaluru metro network spans 73.81 km, encompassing 66 stations, establishing its position as the second-largest metro network in the country, following Delhi metro.
