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Bengaluru's Pink Line Metro will open shortly after the Railway Board approved new BEML train sets for its 7.5-km elevated section. The approval has cleared an important requirement for the safety inspection, with passenger services expected to begin in October.
Bengaluru Metro's Pink Line: Inspection & Authorisation to Take Place
A senior Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) official said that the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) inspection and authorisation are likely to take place in the first week of October, and metro services on the stretch could then start in the second or third week of October.
BMRCL said the Railway Board's approval is necessary for commissioning the elevated section, which will also be included in the documents submitted to the CMRS for inspection. Passenger services can begin only after the mandatory CMRS inspection and authorisation are completed.
Bengaluru Metro Pink Line Route and Stations
The 21.25-km Pink Line will connect Kalena Agrahara with Nagawara, including13.76 km of underground corridor and a 7.5-km elevated section, with a total of 18 stations. The line will connect several important locations, including M G Road, Pottery Town, IIM Bangalore, J P Nagar 4th Phase and Hulimavu.
The first 7.5-km elevated section will have six stations. It will start at Kalena Agrahara and pass through Hulimavu, IIM-B and JP Nagar 4th Phase, before reaching Jayadeva Hospital and Tavarekere. Passengers should note that the Jayadeva Hospital station will provide an interchange with the Yellow Line.
BMRCL has also received the Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) certificate for the signalling systems.
Earlier in September, Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda, BJP South MP Tejasvi Surya and other officials inspected the Pink Line. Gowda stated that enough trains required to start services on the stretch are currently available.
Once the Pink Line section becomes operational, Bengaluru's Metro network will cross the 100-km mark. At present, Namma Metro has a 96-km network, comprising 43.5 km of the Purple Line, 33.5 km of the Green Line and 19.2 km of the Yellow Line.
Bengaluru's average weekday Metro ridership is currently around 9.16 lakh passengers, while the Purple Line alone records about 4.66 lakh passengers. With the Pink Line opening, the average daily ridership is expected to cross 10 lakh.