The 2.1-km Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura metro stretch may open on October 2, according to the Department of Information and Public Relations.
The announcement was made on Facebook, but officials in the department conceded that the date was tentative and no final decision had been taken. They said only Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited could confirm it.
BMRCL boss Anjum Parwez told DH that the date for opening the crucial link hadn't yet been decided.
The commencement of commercial operations depends on several factors, including the availability of political leaders and other dignitaries.
The BJP's Bangalore Central MP, PC Mohan, in whose constituency the Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura metro line falls, said that he had no information about the opening date. But he added that the line should be opened without any delay. "It's a matter of utmost priority," he told this newspaper.
A well-placed source in the BMRCL said the Baiyappanahallli-KR Pura metro line was unlikely to open on October 2. "In all probability, we will open both lines (Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura and Kengeri-Chellaghatta) simultaneously. Opening the two lines separately will be difficult," the source added.
The Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura line is of crucial importance because it will connect Whitefield and the surrounding areas with the CBD and beyond. The 13.71-km KR Pura-Whitefield line is operational, but cut off from the rest of the metro network.
The Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura line was cleared for commercial operations by the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) on September 25.
During the massive traffic gridlock along the Outer Ring Road (ORR) on Wednesday, many citizens said that the Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura line would have made things easier.
Meanwhile, the 1.69-km Kengeri-Chellaghatta metro stretch is scheduled to undergo a safety inspection by the CMRS on Friday.
Metro disruption today
In a surprise announcement related to the CMRS inspection, the BMRCL said that metro services would not be available between KR Pura and Garducharpalya during the full day. Garudacharpalya is the second metro station after KR Pura.
The BMRCL had earlier said that metro services wouldn't be available only between Mysuru Road and Kengeri in view of the CMRS inspection.
So effectively, metro services on the Purple Line would be available only between Baiyappanahalli and Mysuru Road on Friday.
A senior BMRCL official said that they decided to suspend metro services between Baiyappanahalli and Garudacharpalya due to operational contingencies. "We may have to run trains from Chellaghatta to Garudacharpalya during the CMRS inspection," the official added.
Green Line services will remain unaffected.
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