Prime Minister Narendra Modi stated on Friday that the Bangalore Metro Purple Line’s services from Baiyappanahalli to Krishnarajapura and Kengeri to Challaghatta would increase connectivity and benefit lakhs of passengers.
He was speaking after essentially dedicating the two segments of Bangalore Metro’s east-west route to the nation, beginning in Sahibabad, Uttar Pradesh, where he addressed a gathering after inaugurating the 17-kilometer priority part of the country’s first Regional Rapid Transit System (RRTS) corridor.
“The two lines of Bengaluru Metro Rail will improve connectivity. It is expected that eight lakh people travel every day. I congratulate the people of Karnataka on the launch of the Metro Rail line,” the prime minister said.
The Bangalore Metro Purple Line segments from Baiyappanahalli to Krishnarajapura and Kengeri to Challaghatta opened to the public on October 9 without a ceremonial inauguration. The overall operating length of the ‘Namma Metro’ has expanded to 74 km with 66 stops, and daily traffic has surpassed 7.5 lakh.
Namma Metro, which opened 12 years ago, is the country’s second-biggest Metro network. The Purple Line, which runs from Whitefield (Kadugodi) to Challaghatta, presently has a total length of 43.49 kilometers and 37 stops.
During the speech, the prime minister also hinted at the possibility of launching the Metro Rail project in Mysuru. “In Uttar Pradesh today, Metro Rail is arriving in Noida, Ghaziabad, Lucknow, Meerut, Agra and Kanpur. In some places, Metro (train) is running or would run in the near future. In Karnataka too, be it Bengaluru or Mysuru, Metro services are expanded,” the prime minister said.
Speaking on the event, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah said that the state government has approved the 317 km long Metro Rail network by 2031 in its Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP), with the 217 km long line now in operation, development, or planned. The chief minister, who was accompanied by Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar, said that Bengaluru is a rapidly developing metropolis with a significant traffic issue. In light of this, the development of Metro Rail services was critical.
Siddaramaiah said that Phase 2 of the 75.06-kilometer-long Bangalore Metro Rail project has begun at a cost of Rs 30,695 crore. At least 32 kilometers of construction, including the two portions officially launched on Friday, have been finished and commissioned for operations. Metro service extensions from Nagasandra to Madawara in the north, measuring 3.14 kilometers, and from RV Road to Bommasandra, measuring 19.15 kilometers, are nearing completion. The chief minister said that it would be open to the public by April 2024.
A new Metro line stretching from Kalena Agrahara to Nagawara will be completed in March 2025. With the completion of these lines, the overall Metro network will be expanded to 117 kilometers, benefitting 12 lakh people. According to him, the Karnataka government has already allocated Rs 11,583.08 crore for the Metro project. The ORR-Airport Metro Rail Line 2A and 2B with a length of 58 km from Central Silk Board junction to Hebbal junction is being constructed at a cost of Rs 14,788.10 crore, of which Rs 4,775.36 crore has been given, according to Siddaramaiah, and would be completed by 2026.
After this line opens, the Metro Rail network will be 176 km and every day 20 lakh people are likely to travel, he said. “With the growing demand, the Karnataka government has sent the DPR of the third phase of Bengaluru Metro Rail project, comprising a length of 45 km and which will be built at an estimated cost of Rs 15,611 crore, to the Centre for approval. We request the prime minister to approve it at the earliest,” the chief minister said.
This apart, the Sarjapur to Hebbal (37 km) Metro Rail project as part of Phase-3 DPR is being prepared, he added.
