Partial Pink Line opening unlikely to ease Bannerghatta Road traffic, say commuters and experts

Bengaluru’s long-awaited Pink Line is expected to begin operations in phases, with the 7.5-km elevated stretch between Kalena Agrahara and Tavarekere likely to be commissioned this month or the next. However, transport experts and commuters said the partial opening is unlikely to ease congestion on Bannerghatta Road.The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has completed the physical civil infrastructure and trial runs on the elevated section, which forms the southern portion of the 21.26-km Pink Line.The stretch runs along Bannerghatta Road, covering several busy locations, including areas around the Indian Institute of Management Bangalore (IIMB), Hulimavu, Jayadeva hospital, educational institutions and IT parks.While the opening could provide an alternative mode of transport for commuters travelling towards destinations such as Jayadeva Hospital and the IIMB, regular commuters believe its impact on road congestion will remain limited as long as the underground section is not operational.Limited traffic reliefThe Bannerghatta Road witnesses severe traffic congestion during peak hours, with thousands of commuters travelling towards the central part of Bengaluru.“Opening only a small portion of the line does not solve the main problem. Many of us travel towards the Central Business District (CBD), and unless the entire line is operational, we will have to depend on buses after getting off the metro. Currently, we have to depend on the Yellow Line or the Green Line,” said Ananth S., resident of Hulimavu.“Opening small stretch makes zero sense for daily office-goers. The traffic on the Bannerghatta Road isn’t going to vanish because of a 7-km line. If the metro ends abruptly at Tavarekere, we still have to get down, hunt for an autorickshaw, or wait for a BMTC bus at Dairy Circle just to travel to the city. That transition itself will take 30 minutes during peak hours. It’s just shifting the bottleneck from one junction to another,” Mr. Ananth added.Limited commuter benefitFor commuters travelling towards Shivajinagar and the CBD, the limitation is particularly evident.Meera K., who travels daily from Arekere to Shivajinagar for work near Cubbon Park, said that she had been looking forward to using the Pink Line for her daily commute.“I currently take a 368-series BMTC bus from Arekere to Shivajinagar. I was hoping that once the Pink Line opened fully, I could take the metro directly towards Shivajinagar. But with only the Kalena Agrahara-Tavarekere section opening, I would have to take the metro up to Dairy Circle and then take a bus from there to Shivajinagar. If I have to get off the metro and take a bus again, I would rather continue with my existing bus journey. The line will be useful only when it opens fully,” she said.Full connectivity is a keyTransport expert M.N. Srihari said the full Pink Line would be far more significant than opening a short isolated section.“The real value of the Pink Line lies in its ability to create a continuous north-south public transport corridor between the southern parts of Bengaluru, the CBD and the northern areas. Opening a metro corridor in a fragmented manner limits its network effect. Technically, the benefits of a metro increase when passengers can travel continuously across major interchange points without additional transfers. A short operational stretch may attract some local commuters, but it does little to reduce peak-hour traffic on the larger corridor,” said Mr. Srihari.He further said that the BMRCL should focus on completing and commissioning the entire corridor at the earliest. “A fully operational line can shift a significant number of roadusers to the metro and deliver the intended traffic and mobility benefits. Opening a small section is useful as an interim measure, but it should not be seen as a solution to the congestion problem,” Mr. Srihari added.Project faces delaysAccording to the BMRCL’s schedule, the 7.5-km elevated section from Tavarekere to Kalena Agrahara along the Bannerghatta Road is expected to be commissioned in September 2026.The remaining 13.76-km underground section from Dairy Circle to Nagawara is still under construction. The underground corridor, which will be Bengaluru’s longest, will pass through key locations including M.G. Road, Shivajinagar and Tannery Road. The 21.3-km Pink Line, being developed as part of Namma Metro Phase 2, is intended to provide a crucial north-south connection between Kalena Agrahara and Nagawara. The project consists of 7.5 km of elevated viaduct and around 13.8 km of underground tunnels.The project, originally targeted for completion in 2020 and later scheduled for December 2025, has faced several delays, particularly in underground construction. Tunnelling involved difficult geological conditions, including granite and hard dolerite formations, while work through densely populated areas posed additional challenges.BMRCL completed tunnelling across the underground corridor in October 2024. Although the underground section is around 14 km long, approximately 21 km of tunnelling was required to create twin tunnels for trains operating in both directions.