Pink Line on track for Dec 2026 opening, civil work 93% complete

Track-laying, systems work going on as station stake shape

Bengaluru: Construction on Namma Metro's longest underground corridor, the Pink Line, is 93.13% complete, with track-laying and systems installation gathering pace. However, commercial operations are expected to begin only by December 2026. 

The 21.26-km Pink Line will connect Kalena Agrahara to Nagavara via MG Road. It includes a 13.89-km underground section with 12 stations and a 7.37-km elevated section with six stations. 

On Monday, the BMRCL gave journalists a tour of the MG Road metro station, built 65 feet below the surface. 

Spanning 93,775 square feet, MG Road will be an interchange station, allowing passengers to switch between the Pink and Purple lines. 

The construction of twin tunnels spanning 20.99 km was completed by nine Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) between August 20, 2020, and October 30, 2024 — a painstaking process complicated by Bengaluru's complex geology. 

Subrahmanya Gudge, Chief Engineer (Underground), BMRCL, explained Bengaluru's mixed ground conditions — a combination of fresh rock and completely weathered rock/soil. 

"We often encountered boulders — granite, which is hard, and dolerite, which is even harder. Smaller boulders damaged cutting tools and caused ground settlement. We had to carry out 193 interventions between Shivajinagar and MG Road and 162 interventions from MG Road to Vellara Junction," he explained. 

TBMs excavate the tunnel and install precast tunnel segments. This is followed by first-stage concretisation, track-laying and installation of electrical ducts, cable trays, etc. 

Stations — built at an average depth of 59 feet — are constructed in parallel. They were built with the bottom-up method, except for Langford, which used the top-down approach. All stations have two entrances, while MG Road has four. All will be equipped with Platform Screen Doors (PSDs). 

Track-laying and systems installation are currently underway and will be followed by finishing works like block masonry, plastering, flooring, painting and false ceilings. Installations of lifts, escalators, ticket counters, AFC gates, etc, are carried out gradually. 

Unlike elevated stations, underground ones also require tunnel ventilation and environmental control systems, Gudge said. 

There are 15 cross-passages between Dairy Circle and Nagavara, according to the BMRCL. 

A second official said the remaining work would take at least a year. The BMRCL has pushed the Pink Line deadline to December 2026. However, the elevated section may open earlier if the BMRCL receives some of the 16 trains from BEML. 

The other side of Kamaraj Road is expected to open for traffic in June as the equipment for the installation of electrical and traction systems, transformers and PSDs will be lowered in the coming days. 

Four entrances at MG Road station

The MG Road station has four entrances: a) near the Purple Line station, b) RSI, c) Cubbon Road, and d) Army Public School. 

Except for Entrance C (near the Purple Line), all other entrances are nearly complete. Passengers will have to navigate four levels of staircase or escalators to transfer between the platform levels of the Purple and Pink lines. There will be no need to come out of either station, a BMRCL official said. 

The progress so far...

Entrance B of the MG Road underground metro station on the Pink Line. DH PHOTO/PUSHKAR V

Overall civil work: 93.13%

Package 1 (3.65 km, Dairy Circle, Lakkasandra & Langford Town): 92.14%

Package 2 (2.76 km, Vellara Junction, MG Road & Shivajinagar): 95.29%

Package 3 (2.88 km, Cantonment & Pottery Town): 94.41%

Package 4 (4.59 km; Tannery Road, Venkateshpura, KG Halli & Nagavara): 90.69%