Prime Minister Narendra Modi will inaugurate the long-pending Whitefield-KR Puram Metro section (13.2 km), which is the city's major tech hub, on March 25 ahead of the Karnataka elections.
This section is an extension of Bengaluru's east-west corridor (Purple Line). Though the entire 15 km Byappanahalli-Whitefield section was supposed to be completed by the end of 2020, it missed several deadlines because of multiple reasons. The remaining KR Puram-Byappanahalli section, which has been delayed due to the Open Web Girder launching work over a railway track at Benniganahalli, is expected to be completed by June-July 2023.
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) managing director Anjum Parwez told Moneycontrol that they are expecting a daily ridership of around 1.2 lakh on the Whitefield-KR Puram section. "We are working with BMTC (Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation) to operate dedicated feeder bus services between KR Puram and SV Road Metro stations for Metro passengers till the Byappanahalli-KR Puram section is ready," he said.
"The ride time between Whitefield and KR Puram by Metro will be around 22 minutes," he said. A road ride from Whitefield to KR Puram takes around 30 minutes to 1 hour.
Parwez is hopeful of good patronage for the Whitefield-KR Puram section. "Whitefield has a large community who live and travel between KR Puram and Whitefield for various purposes like work, shopping, etc. and we see them using our services. Once the Byappanahalli-KR Puram is commissioned there will be a massive jump in the ridership since it will run all the way till Kengeri/Challaghatta," he said.
According to officials, the maximum fare between Whitefield and KR Puram will be priced at Rs 35. BMRCL will operate five of the seven BEML trains on this route for commercial services with a frequency of 10-12 minutes.
At present, Namma Metro’s daily ridership hovers between 5.3 lakh-5.6 lakh. BMRCL is expecting an additional 4 lakh passengers once the entire Byappanahalli-Whitefield Metro is operational, taking the total to over 9 lakh.
The Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) inspected the Whitefield-KR Puram section on February 22-24, 2023 and set 58 conditions for BMRCL to adhere to before the launch. Parwez said all major pending work has been completed and the section is ready for inauguration/commercial operations. According to a CMRS condition, trains shall operate only on the downline (single track) between Garudacharpalya and KR Puram.
Route map
Stations on the Whitefield - KR Puram Metro section are: Whitefield, Channasandra, Kadugodi (tree park), Pattandur Agrahara (ITPB), Sri Sathya Sai hospital, Nallurhalli, Kundalahalli, Seetharam Palya, Hoodi Junction, Gurudacharpalya, Mahadevapura (Singayyanapalya) and KR Puram.
Parking, bus bays
While parking for two-wheelers is limited at all stations, parking for four-wheelers will be available at two stations: KR Puram and Whitefield. Service roads will be provided around the stations for buses, auto rickshaws/cabs as part of multi-modal integration.
Foot over bridges and other facilities
Pedestrians can use all stations as Foot Over Bridges (FOBs) to cross roads. FOBs are being planned for KR Puram and Whitefield to connect Metro stations directly with nearby railway stations. Direct connectivity from Pattandur Agrahara station to the ITPB campus is also being planned. Officials said all stations will be differently-abled friendly. Each station will have eight escalators, elevators, and staircases. An official added that the Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates at all stations will be National Common Mobility Card and QR-code compatible.
Whitfield is home to major tech parks such as Export Promotion Industrial Park (EPIP), International Tech Park, Bangalore (ITPB), and Prestige Shantiniketan, which houses many IT and ITES companies' offices.
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