A view of the Benniganahalli metro station on Old Madras Road.
Credit: DH File Photo
The most crucial link on Namma Metro's Purple Line has cleared the final hurdle and is ready for commercial operations.
On Monday, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) said it had received clearance from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) for the 2.1-km Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura line, which has a new station at Benniganahalli (Tin Factory).
The statutory safety inspection of this line was carried out on September 20 by AM Chowdhary, the CMRS for the Southern Circle, and his team.
Separately, the CMRS will also conduct the statutory inspection of the 1.69-km Kengeri-Chellaghatta section on September 29.
BMRCL boss Anjum Parwez confirmed both developments to DH, but didn't specify when both sections would open to the public.
A senior official in the BMRCL said that barring some routine conditions, the CMRS hadn't placed any restrictions for starting commercial operations.
"There is no specific restriction, including on running trains on the Open Web Girder that has been placed above the Indian Railway track at Benniganahalli," the official added.
The official indicated that the Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura section could open on October 2 (Gandhi Jayanti), but said no definitive decision had been made.
Some BMRCL officials are of the view that both sections (Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura and Kengeri-Chellaghatta) could open together. If this view prevails, commercial operations may be delayed further.
"If everything goes smoothly, we may get the CMRS clearance (for the Kengeri-Chellaghatta line) the next day (September 30). But since September 30 is a Saturday, we may have to wait until October 3," the official explained.
The commencement of commercial operations depends on several factors, including the availability of political leaders and other dignitaries.
Since the BMRCL is a joint venture between union and state governments, the presence of central leadership is also required.
Although just 2.1-km long, the KR Pura-Baiyappanahalli stretch is of crucial importance on the Purple Line as it will help connect the tech hub of Whitefield with the CBD and the rest of the city. The 13.7-km KR Pura-Whitefield line is operational, but cut off from the rest of the metro network.
The opening of both sections will expand the Purple Line to 43 km and the Bengaluru metro network to over 73 km.