A fresh burst of purple bridges the gap, welds the 44-km stretch in Bengaluru

There will be a purple lining to the dark clouds of memes, jokes, discussions and debates about Bengaluru’s traffic congestions as Namma Metro has finally bridged the gap now. The 44-km stretch between Whitefield in the east and Challaghatta in the far west will have Bengalureans commute in 82 minutes, and for just Rs 60.

As Namma Metro begins operations of two sections from Monday, it estimates the average daily ridership to rise by at least one lakh. The current average daily ridership, which stands at 6.5 lakh, will rise to 7.5 lakh, according to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). 

Namma Metro will run 33 trainsets (of six coaches) on the Purple Line at different frequencies. There will be a total of 180 trips per day, said AS Shankar, Executive Director (Operations and Maintenance), BMRCL. 

The official announcement of the opening of two new metro sections on Sunday was nothing but surreal for Bengalureans. 

Of the two, citizens were eagerly waiting for the 2.1-km Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura section, the crucial link that had made the Whitefield extension of the east-west Purple Line grossly underutilised. 

In view of the missing link, travellers had to take the feeder buses or adopt other means of transport to cover the distance, which often took 30 minutes or more. 

The Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) cleared the Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura section on September 25. The approval for the 2.05-km Kengeri-Challaghatta section came on September 30. 

However, BMRCL took time to comply with the CMRS’ conditions. The last hurdle was bureaucratic red tape. Since the metro is a joint venture of the state and central governments, both administrations had to be on board. 

Given the serious traffic situation between Baiyappanahalli and KR Puram, Bengalureans had asked the authorities to shun official formalities and immediately start commercial operations on both sections. 

But few thought the metro sections would open on a day’s notice. 

The BJP’s Bangalore Central MP, PC Mohan, told DH on Sunday morning that both sections would open on October 9 without any official inauguration to avoid inconvenience to citizens. He followed it up with a public announcement hours later. Mohan said the Centre approved the opening within two days. The state government wrote to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on October 5, and the latter gave the approval on October 8, a Sunday. 

“These two sections... should be opened for passenger service immediately on 9th October, 2023, morning without any formal/informal official function so that daily commuters get immediate benefit from opening of these two important sections,” Ravi Choudhary, Under Secretary, MoHUA, wrote in the letter. DH has verified its authenticity. 

A BMRCL official said pending works related to signage would be completed shortly. 

The two sections will be formally dedicated to the nation by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in two weeks in the presence of Chief Minister Siddaramaiah. 

People struggle to cross the busy Bengaluru-Mysuru highway near the Challaghatta station.

Absence of foot overbridge hits pedestrians Metro travellers are bound to be hit by the absence of a foot overbridge (FOB) at the newly built Challaghatta station.  The station’s location on Mysuru Road coincides with the up-ramp of the Bengaluru-Mysuru highway.  Residents say it will be “very difficult” to cross the busy road to reach the metro station and add that an FOB will make things easier.  However the BMRCL says constructing the FOB is “almost impossible” due to technical reasons. “We will work with the traffic police to provide a pedestrian signal there to facilitate pedestrian movement” BMRCL Chief Public Relations Officer B L Yashavanth Chavan said.  The BMRCL has planned an underpass to provide access to residents of the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout.