Safety inspection of Byappanahalli-KR Pura Metro section complete; ORRCA to facilitate feeder buses to tech parks

CMRS (Southern Circle) AM Choudhary and his team travelled in a motor trolley and inspected various components, including track, third rail, 65-meter open-web girder bridge, viaduct and bearings on the 2.1-km section

The Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) on September 21 conducted the statutory inspection of the long-awaited Byappanahalli-KR Pura (Purple Line) section.

CMRS (Southern Circle) AM Choudhary and his team travelled in a motor trolley and inspected various components, including track, third rail, 65-meter open-web girder bridge, viaduct and bearings on the 2.1-km section.

During the day-long inspection, Choudhary and his team also examined the lift, escalator and other facilities at Benniganahalli station and checked platform clearance among other things.

"The statutory safety inspection of the newly-constructed line between Byappanahalli to KR Pura Metro stations was successfully completed," said Chief PRO of BMRCL BL Yeshwanth Chavan in a statement.

Sources said CMRS is likely to submit a report on September 25 with approval subject to certain conditions. Following this, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) will consult with the Union and state governments to finalise a date for commencing commercial operations of Byappanahalli-KR Pura section.

BMRCL Managing Director Anjum Parwez told Moneycontrol, "It will take another six to seven days to meet the conditions set by CMRS to begin commercial operations. We will be ready to start passenger services from September 29."

However, the CMRS inspection of the Kengeri-Challaghatta section has been delayed. Earlier, BMRCL had decided to commence operations on both the Byappanahalli-KR Pura and Kengeri-Challaghatta (2 km) sections simultaneously. However, CMRS has yet to reveal the inspection date of the Kengeri-Challaghatta (2-km) section.

ORRCA to facilitate feeder buses to tech parks

With the Byappanahalli-KR Pura link set to become operational by the first week of October, the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) has asked companies and tech parks to provide requirements for the BMTC feeder/dedicated bus services for their employees.

"There is an upcoming plan by BMRCL to extend the purple line from Byappanahalli Metro to KR Puram Metro in early October 2023. Once this connection is established, KR Puram Metro 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, and your input is crucial in shaping this initiative," said ORRCA Management Committee.

Dear Transport Leads,

At ORRCA (Outer Ring Road Companies Association), we are dedicated to finding practical solutions to reduce traffic congestion and improve commuting experiences for IT park employees along the Outer Ring Road (ORR).

As part of this commitment, we are…

— Outer Ring Road Companies Association ® (@0RRCA) September 21, 2023

Also read:  Bengaluru NGOs launch #Personal2Public campaign to promote public transport usage at least twice a week

"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," it adds.

According to the report submitted by the Outer Ring Road Companies Association (ORRCA) to the traffic police, 6.4 lakh employees now commute daily between Silk Board and KR Puram using 3.3 lakh vehicles, including personal cars and cabs.

Also read: Traffic cops propose carpooling, shuttle buses to ease congestion on Bengaluru's Outer Ring Road

Traffic police urged ORRCA and companies on ORR to provide shuttle bus services between Central Silk Board and KR Puram for employees and also encourage carpooling initiatives to reduce the number of vehicles.

Also read: Bengaluru car users spend 1-1.5 hours in each direction; 95% keen to shift to Metro: Survey report

The completion of the missing link between KR Pura and Byappanahalli will significantly ease the commute for many passengers, especially tech professionals heading to areas such as Mahadevapura, ITPB and Kadugodi.

According to BMRCL officials, the journey from Challaghatta in West Bengaluru to Whitefield in East Bengaluru is estimated to take around 76 minutes by Metro, with an end-to-end journey fare fixed at Rs 60. Bengaluru Metro's daily ridership is expected to increase from the existing 6.2 lakh to 7 lakh once the Whitefield-Challaghatta corridor is launched.