Bengaluru metro’s Green Line extension near IKEA to get operational on November 7: Report | Bengaluru

Bengaluru’s much-awaited 3.1km Green Line extension is set to open on November 7, according to a report in Deccan Herald. Though this extension received all operational approvals a month ago, the crucial stretch was waiting for formal inauguration.

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Speaking to the publication, a senior Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) official said, “The test run will be conducted today (Wednesday) at 11:30 am, and Deputy CM DK Shivakumar will be present. The commercial operations will begin tomorrow (Thursday)”

This 3.1 km stretch will have three stations: Manjunath Nagara, Chikkabidarakallu, and Madavara. The operation of this extension is expected to ease traffic on the arterial Tumakuru road, which often suffers from massive congestion.

With this, Bengaluru will have a metro network of 78.95 kilometres long with more than 60 stops. After Delhi Metro, Bengaluru’s Namma Metro will be the largest metro network in the country.

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Earlier, Bengaluru south MP Tejasvi Surya, who also raised concerns about the delay in the Green Line extension, noted that even after the Commissioner for Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) approved, the state government had not contacted the Union government to initiate operations. He mentioned that he followed up with the BMRCL MD about the state government’s letter status last week.

This metro stretch took over seven years to get operational and faced multiple delays in the last seven years. This is also the most delayed metro phase in Namma Metro’s history.

BMRCL faced pressure from the public to begin operations of the new stretch after Nagasandra metro station saw massive footfalls on Monday. In an announcement, BMRCL said, “On Monday, between 6 am to 11 am, 15800 passengers entered Nagasandra metro station after festivities against normal 11000 passengers. Most of the passengers with baggage had to be frisked to ensure safety. We adopted manual frisking too and cleared the rush with the least delay.”