Passengers waiting in Whitefield station. After both the Baiyappanahalli-K.R. Pura and Kengeri-Challaghatta sections are opened to the public, the entire 44-km Purple Line, spanning from Whitefield to Challaghatta, will be fully operational.
| Photo Credit: Ravichandran
The Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) has requested companies and tech parks along the Outer Ring Road(ORR) in Bengaluru to offer shuttle services for their employees to the nearest metro station as the Byappanahalli-KR Pura namma metro link is likely to become operational in the first week of October.
“To promote the use of public transport and given the upcoming metro connectivity near the Outer Ring Road, companies can facilitate their employees by offering shuttle services. Several companies are already providing shuttle services from Byappanahalli, and with the metro extending to KR Pura, this will greatly benefit IT employees working along the ORR,” Ramesh V T, General Secretary, ORRCA.
“At ORRCA we are dedicated to finding practical solutions to reduce traffic congestion and improve commuting experiences for IT park employees along the ORR. Our primary objective is to work closely with BMTC, BMRCL, BBMP, and BTP to implement Feeder and Dedicated Bus services that seamlessly connect IT companies and tech parks to the nearest metro station on the Purple Line,” he added.
On Thursday, The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) completed the inspection of the Baiyappanahalli-K.R. Pura section (2 km) of Namma Metro. In a statement earlier Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL), said, “The statutory safety inspection of the newly constructed line between Baiyappanahalli and Krishnarajapura metro stations was successfully completed.”
“Once this connection is established, KR Puram Metro station will be a vital link for ORR commuters, making public transportation even more accessible. We are exploring various models to provide dedicated bus services to tech parks and IT companies on ORR,” Krishna Kumar Gowda, consultant, ORRCA said.
Prior to the announcement of dates for Karnataka Assembly elections, BMRCL had opened the metro line from K.R. Pura to Whitefield, covering a distance of 13.71 km. The line has 12 stations. However, a stretch of close to 2 km between Baiyappanahalli and K.R. Pura could not be opened due to pending work.
Owing to the missing link, metro passengers are presently forced to use feeder service for a distance of 5 km to reach K.R. Puram after getting down at Baiyappanahalli. Feeder services run by the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) are being utilised by up to 8,000 passengers every day.
After both the Baiyappanahalli-K.R. Pura and Kengeri-Challaghatta sections are opened to the public, the entire 44-km Purple Line, spanning from Whitefield to Challaghatta, will be fully operational.