- Railway Board approves BEML trains for Pink Line.
- Safety inspections expected early October, services mid-October.
- 7.5 km elevated corridor expands Bengaluru metro network.
Bengaluru Metro Pink Line: Commuters in Bengaluru are one step closer to using the Namma Metro Pink Line following the Railway Board's approval of new BEML train sets for the 7.5-kilometre elevated corridor on Wednesday. The clearance paves the way for safety inspections, with passenger services likely to begin next month.
Speaking to The Indian Express, a senior Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) official said that the inspection and authorisation by the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) are expected in the first week of October, with services likely to start in the second or third week of the month.
BMRCL has also recently obtained the Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) certificate for the line's signalling systems. Furthermore, Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda stated that enough train sets are already available to commence operations on this section.
"The sanction is an important prerequisite for the commissioning of the elevated section and will form part of the documents to be submitted to CMRS for inspection and examination," BMRCL said as quoted by The Indian Express.
Areas Connected By The Elevated Stretch
The 7.5-kilometre first phase covers six stations:
- Kalena Agrahara
- Hulimavu
- IIM-Bangalore
- JP Nagar 4th Phase
- Jayadeva Hospital
- Tavarekere
Commuters heading to IIM-Bangalore or the JP Nagar area will benefit directly from these new stops. Additionally, the Jayadeva Hospital station will serve as an interchange with the Yellow Line, making cross-line travel significantly easier for hospital staff and patients.
About The Pink Line Corridor
This 7.5-km stretch marks the first phase of the larger 21.25-km Pink Line. Once fully completed, the entire Pink Line will run from Kalena Agrahara to Nagawara across 18 stations including MG Road, Pottery Town, and IIM-Bangalore, combining a 13.76-km underground corridor with the 7.5-km elevated section.
Expansion Of Namma Metro Network
Opening this stretch will push Bengaluru's metro network past the 100-km milestone, up from the current 96 km spread across the Purple, Green, and Yellow lines.