Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda at the press conference at Vikas Soudha on Wednesday. Photo: Supplied
Bengaluru: Trains on Namma Metro’s new Pink Line stretch will run every eight minutes when it opens to passengers at 6 AM on November 14, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurates it, Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda said on Wednesday.
Initially, five trains will be deployed on the Pink Line. The frequency will be reviewed based on passenger demand and the stabilisation of the signalling system, with plans to reduce the interval further, the minister said at a press conference at Vikas Soudha.
The 7.5-km elevated stretch connects Kalena Agrahara and Tavarekere (Suddaguntepalya). Its interchange at Jayadeva Metro station links commuters to the Electronic City corridor and the wider network, giving access to Silk Board, HSR Layout, Jayanagar, Majestic and Whitefield, Gowda said. He said the interchange would make the extension far more useful than an isolated stretch. The opening takes Bengaluru’s operational Metro network to about 103 km.
On November 13, the Prime Minister and Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar are scheduled to arrive near Dairy Circle at around 12.30 PM before proceeding to the Tavarekere–Suddaguntepalya station, where the stretch will be inaugurated. The Prime Minister, the Governor, the Chief Minister and other dignitaries will then travel by Metro to Bilekahalli station before a public programme at the IIM auditorium.
Pink Line underground section and Metro expansion plans
The remaining underground section of the Pink Line, from Tavarekere towards Nagawara, will be opened for public operations once complete; together, the elevated and underground sections will make the line about 21.2 km long, Gowda said. The state is targeting a 170-km operational network in the next 18 months and a 400 to 500 km network in the long term. The 19.75-km Central Silk Board–KR Puram corridor and the Hebbal–Kempegowda International Airport stretch of the Blue Line are targeted to open next year.
Gowda said Karnataka is bearing ₹65,291 crore, about 84%, of the ₹77,891 crore combined outlay of Metro Phases 1, 2, 2A, 2B and 3, while the Centre’s share is ₹12,600 crore, about 16%. “The State is effectively investing nearly five rupees for every rupee contributed by the Centre,” he said. He said he would urge the Prime Minister to increase central funding and to approve the 37.8-km Sarjapur–Hebbal Red Line, a proposal pending with the Centre since January 2025. If it is approved, the government aims to tender the project and start work by the end of next year.
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