The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) began trial runs on the Mysuru Road-Kengeri section on Tuesday. This is the extension of the existing Purple Line of the Namma Metro connecting Mysuru Road to Kengeri in the city.
In December 2020, BMRCL said in a statement that Kengeri residents may be able to ride on the metro as early as in 2021. This is after the 7.5 km Mysuru Road-Kengeri metro corridor extension on the metro's Purple Line is completed.
After completing the construction, a round of testing is now being conducted before the line is made operational by June 2021. Trains were run at slow speeds on Tuesday morning to test the line, particularly its side gaps. This section of the Bengaluru metro is set to be operational in two months and could cater to as many as 75,000 commuters in a day.
This development in the city's southwest part will improve the connectivity between areas like Nayandanahalli and Kengeri with the central areas in Bengaluru.
This elevated section of the Namma Metro will have seven metro stations. These will be in Nayandahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Jnanabharathi, Pattanagere, Mailasandra and Kengeri bus terminal and Challaghatta. Currently, the Purple Line goes from Baiyappanahalli to Mysuru Road. While it will be extended to Challaghatta from Mysuru Road, the Baiyappanahalli station will be linked to the upcoming Whitefield metro station reportedly set to finish in 2022.
Last month, the Bengaluru metro line connecting the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda station in Majestic and Mysuru road was suspended for a week from March 21 to 28. This was in connection with the Kengeri metro line and modification of the signalling system in the Magadi Road-Mysuru Road section. Another section in Challaghatta will be operational only in 2023.
The green line of the metro connects Nagasandra in the northwest part of the city to Silk Institute in the south.