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Memes, criticism and frustration can now be put to rest as the Bengaluru metro finally bridges the gaps on the purple line, resulting in the seamless connection of Challaghatta on the west with Whitefield (Kadugodi) on the east.
The missing link between Baiyappanahalli and KR Pura and the extension to Challaghatta from Kengeri were two long-standing demands of Bengalureans. The full operations of the purple line stretch kicked off Monday, with the first-ever metro train setting out towards Baiyappanahalli from KR Pura at 5.33 am.
Indianexpress.com did a reality check and boarded a metro train from Challaghatta at 3.09 pm and reached Whiteifled at 4.35 pm. The journey, which usually takes more than two hours on the road, was covered in 86 minutes. However, the train halted for longer durations than usual at the Nadaprabhu Kempegowda (Majestic), Byappanahalli and Hope Farm Channasandra stations.
Traffic police said the vehicle count towards the KR Puram railway station was significantly reduced compared with the usual Monday numbers. It was also observed that a lower number of pedestrians at the Baiyappanahalli metro station led to faster movement of traffic and a smaller pile-up at the KR Puram railway station. MN Anucheth, joint commissioner of police (traffic), said, “The vehicle and the pedestrian count at Baiyappanahalli metro station was comparatively less today compared to other Mondays. As a result the vehicle movement towards KR Puram was fast. The traffic queue also reduced to just over 100m near the KR Puram railway station.”
Though it was a non-peak hour, more passengers boarded the train from the Vijayanagar, Majestic and Byappanahalli metro stations. They got down mostly at Majestic, MG Road, Indiranagar, Byappanahalli and KR Pura metro stations.
Rithesh S, a software engineer who took a metro from Indiranagar, said that he was happy that finally the gap was filled. He was heading to the Whitefield terminal. “I used to either take my car, cab or an autorickshaw to travel to my workplace. Coming to MG Road was a distant dream on any day of the week. But now, it is very easy. If the parking areas are provided and maintained properly, then it will help many like me,” he said.
Many commuters going to Outer Ring Road (towards Silk Board) heaved a sigh of relief. Earlier IT professionals travelling to the tech parks on Outer Ring Road from the West used to spend over 90 minutes to reach their destinations. However, today most of them spent just 60-70 minutes to reach work, saving themselves from the notorious traffic between Baiyappanahalli and KR Puram through Tin Factory.
Commuters believe that 37 feeder buses to Outer Ring Road that the Bengaluru Metro Transport Corporation will inaugurate on Tuesday will solve the last-mile connectivity challenge significantly.
Vigneshwar, a techie who boarded a train from Vijaynagar in the west, said, “My office is near Bellandur and it usually takes about 30-35 minutes to reach Baiyappanahalli from Vijaynagar. Until Monday, I used to board a bus from Baiyappanahalli to KR Puram, a distance of just 2km, which is another 30 minute journey. From KR Puram it would take another 30 minutes to reach my office. I used to spend a total of 90 minutes reaching my workplace because of the missing link. Now that Baiayappanahlli and KR Pura metro stations have opened, my travel time has reduced by at least 20 minutes.”
Girish Murthy, who has never visited Phoenix Market City in Mahadevapura, said, “For someone who stays in the west region of Bengaluru, travelling to Whitefield and visiting Phoenix Market City was a daunting task. However, with the metro connectivity, I can take my kids and family to the shopping centre without having to worry about traffic. I also believe that the work productivity will also improve significantly, given the easy movement of people from west to east.”
Prime Minister Narendra Modi wrote on X (formerly Twitter), “Absolutely delighted by the commencement of services on two key stretches of the Purple Line of the Bengaluru Metro. This marks another significant step in enhancing ‘Ease of Living’ for the residents of Bengaluru.”
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Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Hardeep Singh Puri tweeted, “Momentous! For the convenience of people, services on two stretches of Purple Line of #BengaluruMetro have been started without waiting for any VIP or elaborate opening ceremony to provide seamless connectivity on the entire length from Challaghatta to Whitefield! #CitizenOverVIP.”
With the opening of these two vital sections, the complete east–west corridor, the purple line from Whitefield (Kadugodi) to Challaghatta will be complete with a total length of 43.49 km and 37 metro stations. The metro’s operational network has increased from 69.66 km to 73.81 km and 66 stations. The last train from Whitefield (Kadugodi) departs at 10.45 pm and from the rest of the terminal stations at 11.05 pm. The KR Pura-Baiyappahanalli stretch was built at cost of Rs 363.48 crore and the Kengeri-Challaghatta stretch cost Rs 167.97 crore. The fare for the full stretch from Challaghatta to Whitefield is Rs 60.
Frequency of trains on the east-west corridor
1) Whitefield (Kadugodi) to Patandur Agrahara: 10 minutes
2) Patandur Agrahara to Mysore Road: 5 minutes
3) Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Station, Majestic, to MG Road: 3 mins during morning peak hours.
4) Mysore Road to Challaghatta: 10 minutes
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