Pink Line’s 7.5-km stretch to open for commuters on November 14

The stretch between SG Palya and Kalena Agrahara has six stations and has been completed at a cost of Rs 3,470 crore.

Bengaluru: The 7.5-km elevated section of Namma Metro’s Pink Line will open for commercial operations at 6 am on November 14, adding another important corridor to Bengaluru’s public transport network and taking its total operational metro length to 103.6 km.

The stretch between SG Palya and Kalena Agrahara has six stations and has been completed at a cost of Rs 3,470 crore. Five trains will operate on the section, with services scheduled at intervals of around eight minutes.

Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation has fixed the fare at Rs 30 for travel between SG Palya and Kalena Agrahara. Passengers travelling up to Hulimavu or IIMB (Bilekahalli) will have to pay Rs 20, while the fare between NS Palya and JP Nagar 4th Phase will be Rs 10.

The full Pink Line will extend 21.26 km from Kalena Agrahara to Nagawara and have 18 stations. Of these, 12 will be underground and six elevated. While the elevated section along Bannerghatta Road is being opened, the underground portion remains under construction.

The six-coach trains, manufactured by BEML, are equipped with driverless train technology. Each train can carry up to 2,008 passengers and has a maximum operating speed of 90 kmph. Platform screen gates are planned at all six elevated stations.

The Pink Line will provide interchange facilities with the Yellow Line at Jayadeva Hospital station and the Purple Line at MG Road, enabling passengers to access other parts of Bengaluru through the existing metro network.

With the latest addition, Bengaluru’s metro network will reach 103.6 km, placing it ahead of Mumbai’s combined network of around 102 km and making it the second-largest metro system in India after Delhi, which has 374.5 km. Other major networks include Kolkata at 73-74 km, Hyderabad at 69 km, Chennai at 68.7 km and Ahmedabad-Gandhinagar at 65 km.

The expansion marks another major step in Bengaluru’s efforts to strengthen mass transit and improve connectivity across the rapidly growing city.