Bengaluru: After a long wait, Metro Rail services on the two sections of the Purple Line from Baiyapanahalli to KR Puram and Kengri to Challaghatta commenced its operations on Monday.
Good Morning, Bengaluru!
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) October 9, 2023
It’s so nice to see people send videos of Namma Metro #PurpleLine chugging along the whole stretch, while roads are choking with traffic underneath.
It’s an important reminder that the answer to traffic congestion is not building more roads, but… pic.twitter.com/yH2k5zdoJH
The Metro Rail services on the two sections began at 5 am without any formal inauguration after an intervention from the Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Within 2 days of GoK & BMRCL's request to MoHUA, UoI for a formal inauguration date, PM Sri @narendramodi mandates an immediate start to #PurpleLine services, bypassing VIP ceremonies.
— Tejasvi Surya (@Tejasvi_Surya) October 8, 2023
Services begin tomorrow!🚆🙏
#CitizenFirstNotVIP https://t.co/gVG7qCt1Fg pic.twitter.com/JDfTGoDToV
In a statement, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited said, "BMRCL wishes to inform the public regarding the opening of passenger services on the two sections between Krishnarajapura and 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 October 9."
With the opening of these two vital sections, the complete the East-West corridor, the Purple Line from Whitefield (Kadugodi) to Challaghatta will be complete with a total length of 43.49 km and 37 metro stations, it said.
The operational network of BMRCL will increase from 69.66 km to 73.81 km with 66 metro stations, it added.
According to BMRCL, the operational headway on East-West Corridor will be from Whitefield (Kadugodi) to Patandur Agrahara (10 minutes), Patandur Agrahara to Mysore Road (5 minutes), Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Station - Majestic to MG Road (3 minutes) during morning peak hours, Mysore Road to Challaghatta (10 minutes).
The last train from Whitefield (Kadugodi) would depart at 10.45 pm and from the rest of the terminal stations at 11.05 pm, it said.