Bangalore Metro to open Mysore Road-Kengeri stretch to public in July

Bengaluru, India (Urban Transport News): The Reach-2 Extension Line under Phase-2 of the Bangalore Metro Rail project from Mysuru Road to Kengeri is almost completed and it will open for passengers from July, said Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa during interacting with media personnel in Bengaluru on May 25, 2021.

He said that the extension of the railway network would help people connect and travel faster adding that this is an extension to the operational East-West Corridor on the Purple Line of length 18.1 km. The estimated cost of this extension is Rs 1,560 crore and the land cost is Rs 360 crore.

“The Reach-2 Extension Line between Mysore Road and Kengeri of a total length of 7.53 kilometers is scheduled for commercial operation in June 2021. However, there are chances that it may get pushed to the end of June or even to the first few days in July due to the ongoing pandemic situation,” said Rakesh Singh, Managing Director of Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation adding the goal was to get all works completed by June 15 to 20.

“However, the situation is not completely in our hands as it may further get delayed if someone associated with the work tests positive for Covid-19. We are now aiming to send an application for CMRS (Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety) approval after June 20,” Singh further explained.

Once the operation started, the new stretch, travel time between Mysuru Road and Kengeri is expected to be around 15 minutes. The Mysuru Road - Kengeri section will have six stations, namely Nayandahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Jnanabharathi, Pattanagere, Kengeri Bus Terminal, and Kengeri. It has been expected that the new stretch to have a daily ridership of around 75,000.

After inspecting the ongoing works at the Kengeri metro station last week, Singh said that the civil and system works were nearing completion at the station building and the viaduct. “While 90 to 95 percent of the work has been completed in the other five stations, the completion here (Kengeri) is 75 percent. With weekly progress being reviewed and works expedited, we expect to achieve 90 percent completion here by the end of this month,” Singh added.

According to Metro officials, the maximum fare for travelling from Byappanahalli to Kengeri would be Rs 56 and Kengeri to Silk Institute, which is the longest stretch, Rs 60.