Pink Line's elevated stretch in Bengaluru unlikely to open in September
Pending Railway Board and safety approvals make a September launch of the Pink Line's 7.5-km elevated section in Bengaluru uncertain.
The opening of the elevated 7.5-km stretch of Bengaluru's Namma Metro Pink Line appears set to slip past September, with statutory approvals still awaited before passenger services can begin.
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) is yet to receive the rolling stock sanction for an application it submitted to the Railway Board on September 7. That clearance is a mandatory step before the corridor can be inspected and cleared for commercial operations.
Even if the State government is keen to launch the corridor this month, services can start only after the statutory process is completed. This includes the rolling stock approval from the Railway Board and the final safety clearance from the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS).
Once the rolling stock sanction comes through, BMRCL must submit the Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) signalling report to the CMRS. The safety commissioner will then scrutinise the documents and fix a date for inspecting the corridor. Clearance after that inspection is expected to take another one to two weeks, following which the corridor would need to be formally inaugurated.
A senior BMRCL official said the corporation had not committed to a September opening without the necessary approvals. The elevated section was expected to be inaugurated in September, subject to the completion of all statutory approvals and clearances, the official said.
Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda inspected the corridor on September 2 and said civil and elevated works were ready. He had earlier said the stretch could be inaugurated and opened to commuters once the Centre gave the necessary approvals. "We are ready. As soon as the date is given by the Government of India, this stretch will be inaugurated and opened to people for commuting," he had said.
The expected opening date has shifted several times. After taking charge of the portfolio, the Minister initially announced that the elevated section between Kalena Agrahara and Tavarekere would become operational by August 15, 2026, and that the remaining underground section between Tavarekere and Nagawara was expected to be completed by March 2027.
The Pink Line is a 21.3-km corridor linking Kalena Agrahara in south Bengaluru with Nagawara in the north. About 13.8 km of it is underground and 7.5 km is elevated. The underground stretch will pass through key areas such as Dairy Circle, M.G. Road, Shivajinagar and Tannery Road, offering a north-south connection through central Bengaluru. The project has faced repeated delays and missed earlier deadlines, drawing criticism from commuters awaiting the corridor.