The inauguration of the long-awaited Whitefield-KR Puram metro line is expected to take place on 25 March, according to sources in the BMRCL, reports Indian Express.
However, the officials of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) did not provide clarity on when operations might begin on the stretch.
A BMRCL official also stated that the section will have a total of seven trains produced by BEML, a public sector undertaking under the Ministry of Defence.
As per the IE report, the official added that while the overall structure of the seven trains on the new stretch will be similar to the existing structure of metro trains, there will be a slight modification in terms of operational convenience.
A three-day trial run of five metro trains between Whitefield and K R Puram stations began on 12 March 2023.
Anjum Parwez, the managing director of BMRCL, stated that this is a scheduled training done before the actual operations commence. The trains are expected to run at a frequency of every 12 minutes.
He further added, “We have officially not decided on any dates for now. But we are hoping to operationalise the stretch before the end of this month.”
According to BMRCL officials, certain metro stations, including the KR Puram metro station, still have some unfinished tasks and civil works such as glass installation and maintenance of signage boards, among other things.
Earlier, on 28 February 2023, the BMRCL had received authorisation from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) following the inspection of the metro line.
The final statutory inspection was carried out by CMRS Abhai Kumar Rai and his team between 22 February and 24 February 2023.
Upon granting safety clearances, the CMRS placed some conditions which includes completing work on passenger amenities and safety precaution measures at the stations. (Read more on this.)
The section will have 12 stations, along the extended Purple Line that runs from Baiyappanahalli to Whitefield.
This corridor will also include a direct walkway to the International Tech Park (ITPL) from the Agrahara metro station.
The remaining stretch to connect KR Puram and Byapannahalli, spanning two to three kilometres, is set to be operational by June this year.