The metro stretch from Vijayanagar to Mysuru road on the Purple line of Bengaluru Metro will remain closed for two days — August 11 and August 12 — for the commissioning of the new stretch extending from Mysuru road to Kengeri. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) issued a release stating that Metro services on the Purple Line will only be functional from the Baiyappanahalli to Vijayanagar on those two days. BMRCL stated that the trains will be operational from 7 am to 8 pm. Normal operations of trains will resume from August 13.
The press release also stated that the commissioning of the new stretch will in no way affect operations on the Green Line which runs from Nagasandra to Silk Institute metro station and that the trains will operate as per the schedule.
The extension from Mysuru Road to Kengeri has witnessed a series of delays. Originally, the deadline for the stretch was September of 2017. However, TNM had reported that trial runs were carried out by the officials on the stretch in April 2021. Earlier, BMRCL had announced that the stretch would be operational from June. Speaking to TNM, Yashavanth Chavan, who is the Public Relations Officer of the BMRCL, had said that the date to open the line will be finalized after clearance was given by the authorities.
This extension to the Purple Line will add an additional six metro stations which are Nayandahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Jnanabharathi, Pattanagere, Kengeri Bus Terminal and Kengeri. The Mysuru Road to Kengeri line will include an automatic fare collection system where passengers will be able to make payments using QR code-based payment methods. It will be the first time such technology will be introduced in Bengaluru Metro.