The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is ready to commence the operations between Whitefield and Challaghatta on September 15. The operations will start once the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) does the inspection and certifies the stretch between KR Puram-Baiyappanahalli and Kengeri-Challaghatta, The Indian Express reported.
The Managing Director of BMRCL Anjum Parvez said that they are waiting for the CMRS to inspect the stretch between Baiyappanahalli-KR Puram and Kengeri-Challaghatta and the clearance for the same. “We have also requested the CMRS to expedite the inspection. If this happens soon, we can begin operations on the Whitefield-Challaghatta stretch from September 15,” Parvez added.
The link between Baiyappanahalli and KR Puram and the extension to Challaghatta from Kengeri comes under the Bengaluru Metro’s Purple Line which connects east and west Bengaluru. Once the operations start, BMRCL is expecting a rise in the daily footfall from 75,000 to nearly a lakh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had inaugurated the 12.75-kilometre stretch between Whitefield and KR Puram in March this year. The Whitefield-KR Puram stretch currently carries around 30,000 passengers on average per day, most of whom are IT professionals.
Additional trips between Nadaprabhu Kempegowda and Mahatma Gandhi Road stations
Earlier, the BMRCL started running additional trips between Nadaprabhu Kempegowda station and Mahatma Gandhi Road metro stations on weekdays starting September 1. In its announcement, the BMRCL said the decision had been made to give more convenience to the commuters during morning peak hours between the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda station and Mahatma Gandhi Road metro stations. “BMRCL will be operating additional trips on weekdays (Monday to Friday) with effect from September 1. These additional trips are being done on a trial basis on Purple Line,” it said.