Bengaluru, India’s Garden City, a technological hub of India also known as IT hub is all set to get another feather for its smooth connectivity. Namma metro or the Bengaluru metro which covers most of the City is going to be extended to the peripheral areas of the IT City to facilitate connectivity for the population.
When the Bengaluru metro was inaugurated, it became the first underground metro system in South India. “Namma Metro”, not only adds to the beauty of Bengaluru skyline, but immensely adds to the comfort level of travel. Besides this, Namma Metro is a major environment-friendly addition to the Bengaluru City as it significantly contributes to the reduction of carbon emissions.
It comprises underground, at grade and elevated metro stations. BMRCL is responsible for building, operating, and expanding the metro network in City.
Namma metro has two corridor, East-West and North-South. The East-West corridor commences from Krishnarajapura to Whitefield (Kadugodi) Metro Station AND 25.63 kms starting from Baiyappanahalli in the East and terminating at Kengeri Terminal in the West. North-South corridor of 30.32 km commencing at Nagasandra in the North and terminating at Silk Institute in the South.
This is the First Metro rail project in India commissioned with 750V DC Third Rail Traction on Standard Gauge.
The Metro has majorly 5 lines, namely- Purple, Yellow, Green, Blue, Pink
Purple line: This Line is aligned east to west and connects Baiyappanahalli in the east with Kengeri in the southwest. The line is 25.7 kms (16.0 mi) long and has 22 stations.
Yellow line: This Line connects Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road to Bommasandra, covering a distance of 18.82-kilometres (11.69 mi) and has 16 stations. This line is completely elevated and runs along ORR and Hosur Road.
Green line: This line is aligned north to south and connects Nagasandra in the north-west to Silk Institute in the south-west, covering a distance of 30.4 kilometres (18.9 mi) and has 30 stations.
Blue line: This Line is aligned along the eastern and northern sections of ORR. It deviates from ORR at Hebbal and proceeds along Airport road to Kempegowda International Airport. Construction is being handled in two sections: Phase-2A covers Central Silk Board to Krishnarajapura and Phase-2B covers Krishnarajapura to Airport.
Pink line: This Line is aligned from south to north and connects Kalena Agrahara in the south with Nagawara in the north, covering a distance of 21.25-kilometres (13.20 mi) and having 18 stations. It is elevated on the southern side till Tavarakere, the rest is underground till the northern end at Nagawara station. The Karnataka State Industrial Security Force (KISF) is responsible for security on the Namma Metro.
The BMRCL launched a Namma Metro app for Android devices in 2013. However, it had limited features. The app was officially re-launched on November 4, 2016 with additional features. The app was developed by the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (CDAC). The app allows users to purchase and recharge smart cards, locate nearby metro stations, and also provides information related to parking, train frequency, route map, and fare details.
Several films and commercials have been shot on the Namma Metro premises. The first film to shoot on Namma Metro was the Kannada blockbuster Ugramm in 2014. Later many other Kannada movies including 2015 film Rana Vikrama starring Puneeth Rajkumar, were shot using Namma Metro’s facilities. In December 2016, Tamil film Imaikkaa Nodigal, starring Nayanthara became the first film to shoot scenes inside the tunnel stretch of the Purple Line.
As part of expansion recently K. R. Puram- Whitefield Namma Metro line was inaugurated on March 25, 2023 by Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Four days before inauguration of Bangalore metro purple line extension between KR Puram and Whitefield, four stations names changed. The station name of Hoodi Junction is renamed as Hoodi, Kudogodi renamed to Kadugodi Tree Park, Channasandra to Channasandra (Hopefarm) and Whitefield to Whitefield (Kadugodi). Station names have been changed on the basis of locality names and famous areas nearby.
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has given a contract to build Airport Depot for Bangalore Metro Rail Project to J Kumar Infrastructure Ltd. The construction company has bagged a project worth Rs 182.33 crotre to construct a depot near the airport. The Asian Development Bank is funding the airport depot project. BMRCL is constructing a Blue Line, also known as the ORR line. This line will connect KR Puram- Yelahanka-Bangalore Airport.
The Bengaluru Metro rail project phase 3 is on track and will complete 175km of connectivity by June 2025. Under the metro project’s third phase Bangalore will have 314 km of metro connectivity by 2041.
in March 2022, during the state government budget speech, one of the corridors to be constructed from Hebbal to Sarjapura was announced. As per the detailed report of Bangalore metro phase 3, the estimated cost of the project will be around Rs.15,000 crore.
Since the time Bangalore Metro has been launched, property prices have hiked.
Bangalore metro has many routes currently, it has 51 active stations. A few metro lines are under construction, and a few are proposed.
During the first month since the opening of Reach I of just 6.7 km, about 13,25,000 people travelled by metro. On average, 41,390 people took the train every day, while the average daily revenue was ₹667,262. The BMRC earned a revenue of ₹2.1 crore in its first month of operation. However, during the first six months of operation, average ridership went down to 24,968. The BMRC earned a total of ₹6.6 crore during the same period. Namma Metro posted a profit of ₹41 lakh after about one year of operations of Reach I. BMRCL estimates that nearly 80 lakh passengers travelled on the system in its first year of operations.
Namma metro is also pursuing selling retail space within the metro stations to generate non-fare revenue.
There are 64 stations on the Namma Metro network. Majestic station is the largest with a total floor area of 48,000 square metres (520,000 sq ft).
Initially, there were no toilets at Namma Metro stations. BMRCL eventually heeded public demand, and the metro’s first toilets were opened at Baiyappanahalli and Indiranagar stations on 21 June 2013.
Even the BMRC granted permission to Hydrobloom, a start-up company, to grow hydroponic plants on the pillars of the Namma Metro. Pillars covered with plants are referred to as vertical gardens. Hydrobloom had previously developed a vertical garden on a metro pillar near Rangoli Art Centre next to the MG Road Metro station. The gardens are intended for beautification and to reduce air pollution.
Along with this BMRCL, in a public-private partnership, harvests rainwater from the viaducts on the rail system. The private partner, Karnataka Rural Infrastructure Development (KRIDL), collects the water at multiple points, treats it, and sells it in bulk as potable water.
BMRCL began selling tokens through automatic ticket vending machines (ATVM)s at MG Road, Indiranagar and Baiyyappanahalli stations. The service will eventually be expanded to all metro stations. The touchscreen-enabled ATVMs are available in 3 languages – English, Kannada, and Hindi. Commuters can purchase a single journey token by selecting the destination station or the amount in the ATVM.
Bangalore metro carries around 2.5 lakh to 3.5 lakh rides every month.
Bangalore Namma Metro: Key Facts
Inauguration: October 20, 2011
System: Rapid Transit System
Owner: Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd
Conceptualisation: Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC)
Active stations: 51
Train length: 6 coaches