Bengaluru Metro: CMRS Issues Safety Clearances For Taking Forward K R Puram-Whitefield Metro Operations

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) received the safety clearances from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) on Tuesday to start commercial operations of the metro rail between K R Puram and Whitefield.

The final date to begin the commercial operations on the line has not been finalised yet. However, talks regarding the same are being held.

BMRCL head Anjum Parwez stated that they had received clearance from the CMRS with “a few observations".

While the details about the observations were not shared, a BMRCL official said that the CMRS had directed to follow the statutory standard operating procedure (SOP), as reported by Deccan Herald.

Earlier, Parwez had stated that it would need another 10 days for compliance if the CMRS made any recommendations during the process of inspections.

The final statutory inspection was carried out by CMRS Abhai Kumar Rai and his team between 22 February and 24 February 2023.

The CMRS inspection is the final and most important stage in the commissioning of a metro line. The team had inspected operational safety, traction, power supply and signalling systems.

Additionally, it included inspection of the viaduct, tracks and curve along with the required features at metro stations — passenger amenities, firefighting systems, information systems, and others.

The K R Puram-Whitefield line is part of the 15.25 km Whitefield-Baiyappanahalli extension of the Purple Line.

According to the BMRCL, this extension will be launched in two phases. This corridor will have 12 metro stations.

The Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) is planning to run feeder bus services to connect the 12 metro stations with the surrounding areas, an official said. 

The other phase of the network between Baiyappanahalli and K R Puram is expected to be opened by mid-year.

With the opening of this line, people will be able to travel from Kengeri to Whitefield under the Purple Line.

The K R Puram-Whitefield line's launch will provide easier metro access to the city's eastern IT hubs, also reducing the traffic congestion in the region.

At present, under Phase I and Phase II of Namma Metro, the BMRCL is operating 55 km of metro lines.

This includes the purple line connecting east to west at a stretch of 25.7 km and the green line running a stretch of 30.37 km.