PM Narendra Modi Inaugurates Bengaluru Metro's Pink Line: All You Need To Know

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Friday inaugurated Bengaluru Metro's Pink Line, ending years of commuters' wait amid several missed deadlines and ever-compounding traffic ordeal.

About Namma Metro Pink Line

The Pink Line's elevated section extends from Kalena Agrahara to SG Palya. The stations along the 7.5-kilometre section include Kalena Agrahara, Hulimavu, Bilekahalli–IIMB, NS Palya–JP Nagar 4th Phase, Jayadeva Hospital and SG Palya. Once it opens to commuters on November 14, the line will connect with the Electronic City line at Jayadeva Hospital station, easing connectivity for commuters travelling from Banerghatta Road in south Bengaluru towards HSR Layout, Jayanagar and Whitefield in the eastern and central parts of the city.

It has been developed at a cost of around Rs 3,740 crore.

Services on the Pink Line will operate at an interval of eight minutes, with five trains - four for regular operations and one for standby - being allotted for the section. Ahead of the inauguration, the Centre had approved the Karnataka government's proposal to rename three stations on the newly-opened section. Bilekahalli-IIMB was earlier known as IIMB, while NS Palya-JP Nagar 4th Phase and SG Palya were known as JP Nagar 4th Phase and Tavarekere respectively.

Concerns have been raised about the potential crowding at interchange stations like RV Road as commuters make multiple interchanges while using a combination of the Pink, Yellow, Green and Purple lines until the entire Pink Line becomes operational. Similar crowding is already being witnessed at Majestic metro station, which serves as the primary multi-level transfer point between the Purple Line (east-west corridor) and the Green Line (north-south corridor).

The upcoming underground portion, planned to span over 13.7 kilometre, will run between Gottigere in the south and Nagawara in the north through central Bengaluru. It will pass through key areas like Hulimavu, JP Nagar, Tavarekere, Dairy Circle, Langford Town, MG Road, Shivaji Nagar, Cantonment, Pottery Town and Venkateshpura, connecting important residential areas with commercial hubs.

Once completed, the Pink Line will have 12 underground stations and six elevated stations, with interchanges with the Purple Line at MG Road, the Yellow Line at Jayadeva Hospital and the upcoming Blue Line at Nagawara.

More Delays In Store?

The underground portion of the Pink Line, the longest of its kind in the city's entire network, is targeted to be opened in the first half of 2027, according to reports. Factors like difficult ground conditions have contributed to the delays.

Bengaluru's Metro Network

The Pink Line's launch takes the Bengaluru Metro's network past the 100-kilometre mark, now standing at 103.6 kilometre. This makes the city's network the second largest in the country after Delhi.

The Bengaluru Metro network comprises of the 43-kilometre-long Purple Line, 33-kilometre-long Green Line and 19-kilometre-long Yellow Line. The other planned corridors include the Blue, Orange and Red lines.

The Karnataka government has set a target of extending the Metro network beyond 170 kilometres in 18 months. The long term plan is to build a network over 400 to 500 kilometres.

Other Projects On PM Modi's Agenda

PM Modi will flag off the Bengaluru-Mangaluru-Madgaon Vande Bharat Express, providing faster and modern rail connectivity between Bengaluru, Coastal Karnataka and Goa.

The prime minister will inaugurate four redeveloped railway stations of Chamarajanagar, Chikkamagaluru, Sakleshpur and Subrahmanya Road in the state under the Amrit Bharat station scheme, and he will dedicate to the nation the 45 km Bagalkot-Wandal railway line doubling section, forming part of the 284 km Gadag-Hospet Doubling Project. The electrification of the 55 km Sakleshpur-Subrahmanya Road Ghat railway section will also be unveiled.

PM Modi inaugurated development projects worth over Rs 15,600 crore in Bengaluru. These included the Transmission Scheme for Integration of Renewable Energy Zones (Phase-II) in Koppal-II and Gadag-II, developed with an investment of around Rs 4,450 crore; the Transmission Scheme for the Solar Energy Zone in Bidar, developed with an investment of around Rs 1,370 crore.

The PM will lay the foundation stone for the Transmission Scheme for the Integration of Davanagere/Chitradurga and Ballari Renewable Energy Zones, at an investment of over Rs 3,450 crore and the Transmission System Strengthening project for Integration of Additional Renewable Energy Potential at Davanagere and Ballari, at an investment of over Rs 1,100 crore.India's largest underground LPG storage cavern in Mangaluru, constructed at a cost of over Rs 850 crore, will also be unveiled. With a storage capacity of 80,000 metric tonne, the facility will significantly strengthen India's LPG storage infrastructure. The project also includes a 9.4 km LPG pipeline connecting New Mangalore Port to the main terminal, facilitating efficient transportation and storage of LPG.

PM Modi will also dedicate to the nation the Devangonthi Marketing Terminal of Mangalore Refinery and Petrochemicals Limited (MRPL), Bengaluru. Built at an investment of Rs 330 crore, the state-of-the-art facility will strengthen petroleum product storage and distribution infrastructure in Karnataka.He will lay the foundation stone of GAIL's Compressed Biogas Plant at Haralakunte, Bengaluru. The plant will process approximately 300 tonne of municipal solid waste daily to produce 12.6 tonne of clean Compressed Biogas (CBG).

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