Bengaluru’s metro network is set to cross the 100-km mark after the elevated section of the Pink Line between Kalena Agrahara and Tavarekere is added to operations, potentially making the city the third in India with a metro system longer than 100 km. The 7.8-km section is expected to begin commercial services by the end of October, subject to final safety approvals.
The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety for the Southern Circle is scheduled to inspect the elevated corridor from October 6 to 8. The inspection, led by Venkata Subramanian, will cover the viaduct, signalling systems, tracks and stations, as well as the operations control centre, according to a senior Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited official cited by Vijay Karnataka.
Bengaluru’s operational metro network currently spans 96.10 km across the Purple, Green and Yellow lines. The addition of the Pink Line’s elevated section is expected to take the network to 103.6 km, placing it ahead of Mumbai’s 101.3-km network and making it the country’s second-longest metro network after Delhi’s 416 km, based on the figures reported by the publication.
The elevated section is part of the 21.25-km Pink Line between Kalena Agrahara and Nagawara. The full corridor is planned to have 18 stations, including six stations on the elevated section and 12 stations on the 13.76-km underground section between Dairy Circle and Nagawara. The elevated stations are Tavarekere, Jayadeva Hospital, JP Nagar 4th Phase, IIM Bengaluru, Hulimavu and Kalena Agrahara, also known as Gottigere.
BEML has already supplied 10 driverless-capable trains for the corridor, while six trains are required for the elevated section, according to the report. BMRCL has planned a six-minute interval during peak periods and a nine- to 10-minute interval during normal periods. These operating plans will remain subject to the required testing and regulatory approvals.
The Jayadeva interchange station is expected to become Bengaluru’s third interchange station and will connect the Yellow and Pink lines. The Pink Line is also expected to be the first corridor in the Namma Metro system to use platform screen doors.
The elevated section has faced repeated delays. Its opening had earlier been expected in September last year and was subsequently planned for March, May and August this year. Testing and approval procedures pushed back those timelines. The final inspection is expected to result in approval within about a week, although any changes required by the safety regulator could affect the commercial launch schedule.
The underground section is on a later timeline. BMRCL is expected to conduct a first trial run between MG Road and Shivajinagar within the next two weeks, according to the report. However, delayed supplies of platform screen doors from China may affect the integration of the signalling system. BMRCL expects the underground section to be ready by March 2027, though the deadline could extend to June. The immediate milestone is the safety inspection of the elevated section, followed by the regulatory decision on commercial operations.
