The Purple Line is a line on the Namma Metro rail system. As of 2023, the line is long and spans 37 stations from Challaghatta in the southwest to Whitefield (Kadugodi) to the east. It is mostly elevated, with 31 elevated stations, 5 underground stations and 1 at-grade station. The line passes through many major activity centers and business districts of the city, including Whitefield, ITPL, Krishnarajapura, MG Road, Vidhana Soudha, Majestic, Vijayanagar, Rajarajeshwari Nagar and Kengeri. There is an interchange with the Green Line at Majestic station. Phase I of the Purple Line was the first underground metro section constructed in South India. Purple train is currently operating with 33 train sets with 6 coaches each. Titagarh will provide 15 train sets out of 21 train sets new order by March 2026.
Construction Sections of the Purple Line were opened as below:
HistoryPhaseSectionOpening dateTerminalsLengthStations1 Reach 1 20 October 2011BaiyappanahalliMahatma Gandhi Road6 Reach 2 16 November 2015 Magadi Road Mysuru Road 6 UG 1 30 April 2016 Mahatma Gandhi RoadMagadi Road 52 Reach 2A 30 August 2021 Mysuru RoadKengeri6 Reach 1A26 March 2023KrishnarajapuraKundalahalli6Reach 1BKundalahalliWhitefield (Kadugodi) 6Reach 1A9 October 2023KrishnarajapuraBaiyappanahalli1Reach 2BKengeriChallaghatta1TotalWhitefield (Kadugodi)Challaghatta37
Phase I Civil construction work on Phase I of the line began on 15 April 2007 and was originally scheduled to be completed in 5 years. However, the project faced delays and missed several deadlines. Difficult tunnel boring conditions through a mixed geology with hard rock caused major delays. The first stretch of Purple Line (Reach 1, fully elevated) between Baiyyappanahalli and Mahatma Gandhi Road was inaugurated on 20 October 2011. Reach 2 (fully elevated) between Mysore Road and Magadi Road commenced operations on 16 November 2015. These two sections operated independently until the final section, the underground stretch between Mahatma Gandhi Road and City Railway station was opened on 30 April 2016, thus linking the previously opened stretches and completing Phase I.
Costs for the Purple Line were estimated at 4500–5000 crores. The cost of the underground stretch alone amounted to about . Land acquisition for Phase I of the project cost . BMRCL secured through long-term loans and by selling bonds, while the remaining project cost was funded by the central and state governments. Loans were secured from several agencies: from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited (HUDCO), from the Asian Development Bank (ADB), and the rest from a French lending agency. Approximately 10% of the 6500 crore was to be paid as interest by BMRCL each year. The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry (FKCCI) had estimated that interest payment alone would be ; however, BMRCL stated that it was not as high but "definitely more than per day".
The tunnels bored using tunnel boring machines (TBMs) are located approximately 60 feet below ground level, have an outer diameter of 6.5 metres and inner diameter of 5.6 metres, and situated are 5 metres apart. Two Japanese TBMs, Helen and Margarita, were used for tunneling work of the Purple Line. Tunneling work began in May 2011 and completed in May 2014. Underground stations (City railway station, Sir M Visvesvaraya, Vidhana Soudha and Cubbon Park) were built by the cut-and-cover method which required 10,000 controlled blasts using of explosives of 125 gm gel nitrate capsules due to hard granite rock. Blasts were carried out daily from 6 am to 7 am from March 2011 to early 2013, as regulations restricted blasting work from being carried out at other times of the day. Preparation for a single blast took approximately 3.5 hours, with the actual duration of a blast being 5 seconds. Approximately, 20,250 truckloads of debris were excavated during construction. Kolar-based National Institute of Rock Mechanics served as the consultant for blasting work. There were no injuries during the entire blasting process. A total of 2500 trees were cut down during the construction of both lines of Phase I.
Reach 1 was originally scheduled to begin operations in March 2010. After missing several deadlines, it was finally opened to the public on 20 October 2011 at 4 pm IST by Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath. There was an overwhelming response to the metro at the commencement of operations; as per BMRCL sources, within the first three days of operations, people used the mass transit system. At the end of the 4th day, about 200,000 passengers had already commuted on Namma Metro. Namma Metro's first 12-day cumulative revenue was . During the first month, about 1,325,000 people traveled by metro. On average, 41,390 people took the train every day, while the average daily revenue was . BMRC earned a revenue of in its first month of operation. However, average ridership during the first six months of operation was just 24,900 after the initial rush. BMRCL earned a total of during the same period. Namma Metro posted a profit of after almost one year of operating Reach I. BMRCL estimates that nearly 8 million passengers traveled on the system during its first year of operations.
Reach 2 received clearance to start services from Satish Kumar, the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety, on 21 September 2015. Reach 2 was opened to the public on 16 November 2015.
BMRCL applied for safety clearance to open the underground stretch in the third week of March 2016. The Commissioner for Railway Safety (CRS) granted clearance to begin operations on the underground section in the first week of April 2016. The underground section was inaugurated by Union Urban Development Minister M. Venkaiah Naidu, Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and other dignitaries at a ceremony at the Vidhana Soudha on 29 April 2016. The inaugural train through the underground section departed from Vidhana Soudha station at 6:35 pm. The section was opened to the public from 6 am on 30 April 2016. Trains ran until 10 pm on the opening day, making 115 trips and transporting about 93,500 passengers, earning BMRCL a revenue of . The following day, 120 trips were operated on the Purple line, transporting about 125,000 passengers. On the first two days of operation, after opening of the underground section, BMRCL collected over 7 million in revenues from the Purple Line.
Phase II In October 2016, the BMRCL began civil work on the west extension of the Purple Line from Mysuru Road to Kengeri (8.81 km), later extended to Challaghatta. Construction work on the Purple Line corridor was awarded in two packages for 660 crore. IL&FS Engineering Construction Company won the contract for Reach 2A of 3.94 km from Mysuru Road to Pattanagere, including four stations, at 327 crore. Soma Enterprise won the contract for Reach 2B of 4.86 km from Pattanagere to Kengeri, later extended to Challaghatta, including two stations and a depot at Challaghatta at 332 crore. The land needed for the depot at Challaghatta, about 1.5 km away from Kengeri station, was already owned by BMRCL. Later, the line extension included a new station at Challaghatta, close to the depot.
BMRCL floated tenders for the construction of the 15.5-km elevated stretch from Baiyyappanahalli to Whitefield railway station in December 2016. Reach 1A is an 8.03 km section from Baiyyappanahalli to Seetharamapalya, including six new stations, and is estimated to cost 670.72 crore. Reach 1B, the 7.21 km section from Kundalahalli to Whitefield (Kadugodi), includes seven new stations and is estimated to cost 666.12 crore. Italian-Thai Development was awarded the contracts for both packages, for a sum of in May 2017.
Around 270 buildings were demolished for the construction of Reach 1A and 1B. BMRC spent an estimated 849 crore to acquire properties. Demolition work began in March 2017, and construction work began in February 2018.
The extension from Mysore Road to Kengeri towards the southwest opened on 30 August 2021 and the extension from Krishnarajapura to Whitefield (Kadugodi) towards the east opened on 26 March 2023.Prime Minister opens Bengaluru extension Tramways & Urban Transit issue 1025 May 2023 page 172
Later, trial runs began from Baiyappanahalli to Krishnarajapura with one station in between (Benniganahalli) on 26 July 2023 and from Kengeri to Challaghatta on 29 July 2023. On 9 October 2023, both the sections were opened for general use, making the whole line operational from Whitefield (Kadugodi) to Challaghatta.
Phase III
In November 2023, the Government of Karnataka announced that it planned to extend the Purple Line till Hoskote, Bengaluru North District eastwards and Bidadi and Ramanagara district headquarter in Bengaluru South (Ramanagara) District westwards in the future.
Stations
There are currently 37 stations on the Purple Line. All underground stations were built using the cut-and-cover method. Most underground stations are 300 metres long and 25 metres wide, other than the interchange station at Majestic, which is much larger.
Initially, there were no toilets at Namma Metro stations. BMRCL eventually listened to public demands for toilets and the metro's first toilets were opened at Baiyyappanahalli and Indiranagar stations on 21 June 2013.
In September 2015, it was announced that the proposed Narayanapura metro station would be removed and the proposed Krishnarajapura metro station would be shifted by 295 metres to the west, due to difficulty in acquiring land in the area. In April 2016, BMRCL revealed that Whitefield metro station, originally proposed to be located 200 metres away from Whitefield railway station, would be shifted to be directly opposite the railway station to provide easier connectivity between the metro station and railway station.
Yellow tactile tiles are used at all stations to guide the visually impaired. The tiles start at the ramp and lead to the staircases and lifts.
Interchanges Passenger interchange facilities, connecting to other metro and railway lines, will be provided at the following stations:
Whitefield (Kadugodi) (connects to the Whitefield railway station) Krishnarajapura (connects to the Blue Line, which runs between Central Silk Board and KIAL Terminals, also connects to the Krishnarajapuram railway station) Mahatma Gandhi Road (connects to the Pink Line, which runs between Nagawara and Kalena Agrahara) Sir M. Visveshwaraya station, Central College (connects to the Red Line, which runs between Hebbala and Sarjapura) Nadaprabhu Kempegowda station, Majestic (connects to the Green Line, which runs between Madavara and Silk Institute, also connects to the KSR Bengaluru railway station and Kempegowda Bus Station) Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna Railway Station (connects to the KSR Bengaluru railway station) Hosahalli (connects to the Grey Line, which runs between Hosahalli and Kadabagere) Mysuru Road (connects to the Orange Line, which runs between Kempapura and JP Nagar 4th Phase)