CMRS inspection on extended Mysore Road-Kengeri stretch on Aug 11, 12

Bengaluru: After missing several deadlines, Bengaluru Metro is likely to begin commercial operations on the extended Purple Line on Mysore Road by August, after the inspection by the commissioner of metro railway safety (CMRS).

A statement released by Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Thursday says "The statutory inspection for the Reach 2 extension line from Mysore Road to Kengeri station will be conducted by the CMRS, Southern Circle, on August 11 and 12, 2021".

In recent days, reacting to the delay in beginning the much-delayed operations on the stretch, BMRCL managing director Anjum Parwez had said, "We can begin commercial operations on this stretch by August after obtaining safety clearance from CMRS."

With six stations — Nayandahalli, Rajarajeshwarinagar, Jnanabharathi, Pattengere, Kengeri Bus Terminal, and Kengeri — on the extended Purple line, the 7.53-kilometre long extended route is expected to benefit 75,000 passengers daily. Operations on this stretch were initially scheduled to be in 2020 and then pushed to June as officials cited Covid second wave and unavailability of workers due to the pandemic among reasons for the delay.

At present, the Bengaluru metro currently consists of two lines-- the Purple Line between Baiyyappanahalli and Mysuru Road and the Green Line between Nagasandra and Yelachenahalli. The Purple Line connects Baiyyappanahalli in the east with Mysuru Road in southwest Bengaluru. The line passes through prime activity centres of the city, including MG Road, Majestic, Railway Station and Vidhana Soudha. Extension works are currently underway at both ends of the line.