Purple Line (Namma Metro)
Purple Line of the Namma Metro is part of the metro rail system for the city of Bengaluru, Karnataka, India. The 18.22 km line connects Baiyyappanahalli with Mysore Road. The line links the eastern, central and western areas of Bengaluru. The Purple Line is mostly elevated, with 12 elevated stations and 5 underground stations. The Majestic station serves as the interchange station with the Green Line. It generally takes around 35 minutes to travel from one end to another end, as compared to around 90 minutes taken to travel on road.
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, which the BMRCL blamed on land acquisition disputes, and difficulty in drilling though the hard rock of the Deccan Plateau for the underground section. The first stretch of the Purple Line between Baiyyappanahalli and Mahatma Gandhi Road was inaugurated on 20 October 2011, and Reach 2 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 to the public on 30 April 2016, linking the previously operational stretches and completing Phase I of the Purple Line. The final stretch of Phase I is the first underground metro section in South India.
The proposed Phase II will extend the line at both its eastern and western termini. Once Phase II is completed, the line will consist of 36 stations from Whitefield in the eastern suburb to Challaghatta in the South-western suburb, and measure 42.53 km.
History
The following dates represent the dates the section opened to the public, not the private inauguration.Phase I
The detailed project report for Phase I, comprising the Purple and Green Lines, of the Namma Metro project was prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation and submitted to the BMRCL in May 2003. The final approval on a scheme that incorporated the expertise of DMRC and RITES Limited did not come until April 2006. The DPR prepared by DMRC envisaged a elevated and underground rail network with 32 stations for Phase I of the project. The proposed gauge was standard gauge unlike the broad gauge on the Delhi Metro network. The rationale for the metro includes reduced journey times, cutting fuel use, accident reduction and lower pollution.Construction work for Phase I of the Namma Metro project was scheduled to start in 2005 but was delayed due to change of government in Karnataka and continued debate over whether the project was financially feasible and appropriate for the city. The Union Cabinet approved Phase I of the Namma Metro on 25 April 2006, when it was estimated to cost. The cost was later revised to, and then to. The cost escalated to as various problems delayed the completion of the project. The cost of the Purple Line was estimated at 4500-5000 crore, with the cost of the underground stretch alone amounting 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 Central Government and the State Government. BMRCL secured loans from several agencies - from the Japan International Cooperation Agency, from the Housing and Urban Development Corporation Limited, from the Asian Development Bank, and the rest from a French lending agency. Approximately 10% of the 6500 crore must be paid as interest by the BMRCL every year. The Federation of Karnataka Chambers of Commerce and Industry estimated that this amounted to an interest payment of, however the BMRCL refuted the claims that the interest was that high, while confirming that it was "definitely more than per day."
Navayuga Engineering was awarded the contract to construct Reach 1 of the Purple Line in 2006. The foundation stone for the Phase I construction was laid by Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on 24 June 2006, and civil construction on Reach I of the line, between M.G. Road and Baiyyappanahalli, commenced on 15 April 2007. The underground work commenced in May 2011. Each corridor consists of two 4.8 km long tunnels which are the first tunnels built for trains in South India. The tunnels, dug using tunnel boring machines, 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, nicknamed Helen and Margarita, were used for tunneling work on the Purple Line. Tunneling work began in May 2011 and completed in May 2014. The work required the BMRCL to conduct 10,000 controlled blasts using 50,000 kg of 125 gm gel nitrate capsules as explosives to tunnel through the hard granite rock of the Deccan Plateau. Blasts were carried out daily from 6 am to 7 am from March 2011 to early 2013. Regulations restricted blasting work from being carried out at the times of 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 was excavated during construction. Kolar-based National Institute of Rock Mechanics served as consultant for blasting work. 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 the deadline was missed, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd shifted the deadline to 31 December 2010. It was again changed to 4 April 2011 and then the date of inauguration was set at 15 September 2011. The next deadline set was 26 September 2011 which was also missed. The metro 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 first three days of operations, people used this mass transit system. At the end of 4th day about 200,000 passengers had already commuted in Namma Metro. Namma Metro's first 12-day cumulative revenue was. During the first month, since the opening of Reach I, about 1,325,000 people travelled by the metro. On average, 41,390 people took the train every day, while the average daily revenue was. The BMRC earned a revenue of in its first month of operation. In the first six months of operation, average ridership went down to 24,900. The BMRC 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 travelled on the system, in its first year of operations.
Reach 2 received clearance to start services from Satish Kumar Mittal, 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 granted clearance to begin operations on the underground section in the first week of April 2016. However, BMRCL did not open the section until 30 April 2016, as it was waiting for the availability of VIPs to inaugurate the stretch. 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 departed from the Vidhana Soudha station at 6:35 PM. Namma metro was first driven in underground section by LOCO pilot Chethankumar who became the first LOCOPILOT in South India to do so. The section was opened to the public from 6 AM on 30 April 2016. Trains ran until 10 PM on opening day, making 115 trips, transporting 93,526 passengers and earning the 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 the opening of the underground section, the BMRCL collected in revenues from the Purple Line.
Phase II
In October 2016, the BMRCL began civil work on the western extension of the Purple Line from Mysore Road to Kengeri. Construction work on the Purple Line corridor was awarded in two packages for 660 crore. IL&FS Engineering Construction Company bagged the contract for Reach 2A, the Mysore Road to RVCE/Pattanagere stretch of 3.94 km, at 327 crore. Soma Enterprise secured Reach 2B, the RVCE/Pattanagere to Kengeri stretch of 4.86 km, at 332 crore. The land needed for the depot at Challaghatta had already been acquired by BMRCL. Later, the last station was extended till Challaghatta, place where the depot is been constructed.The BMRCL floated tenders for the construction of the 15.5-km elevated stretch from Baiyappanahalli to Whitefield railway station in December 2016. The work was split into two packages - Reach 1A and Reach 1B. Reach 1A is an 8.03 km section from Baiyappanahalli to Visvesvaraya Industrial Area. The section includes six new stations and is estimated to cost 670.72 crore. Reach 1B, the 7.21 km section from Kundalahalli to Whitefield, includes seven new stations and is estimated to cost 666.12 crore. The tenders for Reach 1B and Reach 1A were floated by the BMRC on 1 December and 6 December respectively. Italian-Thai Development Public Company Limited 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. The BMRC spent an estimated 849 crore to acquire these properties. Demolition work began in March 2017. Construction work is expected to begin by June 2017, and be completed within 27 months.
Stations
There are 17 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. The interchange station at Majestic is much larger.Initially, there were no toilets at Namma Metro stations, despite demand from commuters. BMRCL countered the demand by arguing that constructing toilets was not part of the metro construction plan, and that building toilets in the city was the responsibility of the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike. They also justified the decision by saying that commuters spent "hardly five minutes" at stations, so restrooms were not required, and also that none of the Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation bus stops in the city had toilets for passengers. However, BMRCL eventually heeded public demand, and the metro's first toilets were opened at Baiyappanahalli and Indiranagar stations on 21 June 2013.
In September 2015, it was announced that the proposed Narayanapura metro station would be removed from the network, and the proposed Krishnarajapuram metro station would be shifted by 295 metres to the west, due to difficulty in acquiring land in the area. In April 2016, the BMRCL revealed that the Whitefield metro station, proposed to be located 200 metres away from the Whitefield railway station, would be constructed at a new location directly opposite the railway station to provide connectivity between the metro and railway lines.
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.
Infrastructure
Rolling stock
Twenty-one trains operate on the Purple Line. Each train is made up of 3 coaches and has a total capacity of 1000 passengers.All coaches are air-conditioned.
The first six car train was introduced on the Purple Line on 23 June 2018.
As of September 2019 All train sets on the Purple line have been upgraded to 6 coaches while the Green line has 2 6 car trains running
Traction
The Purple Line was the second railway line in India to use 750 V DC third rail traction. The first is Kolkata Metro since 1984.Signaling
In September 2009, the consortium led by Alstom Project India Limited were awarded a contract worth to supply control and signalling system for the first phase of the project. The consortium is led by Alstom and composed of Alstom Transport SA, Thales Group Portugal S A and Sumitomo Corporation. Alstom will provide the design, manufacture, supply, installing, testing and commissioning of the train control and signalling system and Thales will provide the design, installing, testing and commissioning of the telecommunication system for Phase I of the metro system. It includes the Urbalis 200 Automatic Train Control system which will ensure optimal safety, flexible operations and heightened passenger comfort.The integrated control centre at Byappanahalli has direct communication with trains and stations are CCTV fitted with visual and audio service information.
Operations
Frequency
The metro service runs from 5 AM and 11 PM daily. The end-to-end travel time on the Purple Line is 33 minutes. From 7 November 2016, Purple Line trains began running at an interval of every 4 minutes between 9:10 am and 9:58 am to handle rising passenger traffic during morning peak hours. This timing was later withdrawn as the trains were not operating at optimal capacity. From 27 February 2017, the BMRC introduced a new time-table for weekdays. Headway on the line is currently 4 minutes, 7 minutes, 8 minutes and 15 minutes at all other times.Metro services have occasionally operated beyond 2200 hours. Services are usually extended on festival days or when a senior cricket match is held in Bangalore.
Speed
The system is designed for a maximum train speed of 80 km/h. However, the Research Design and Standards Organization fixed the speed at which trains are allowed commercially operate at 67.50 km/h on straight sections, 35 km/h on curves, and 45 km/h in stations. The maximum permitted speed on the underground section is 40 km/hr. Purple Line trains usually operate at speeds of 38–40 km/hr. According to metro authorities, the trains require more than 400 metres to accelerate from, or decelerate to, a halt. As the inter-station distance on the line is about 1 km, the trains have limited time to run at higher speeds.Fare collection
End-to-end fare on the Purple Line is. Commuters who pay using smartcards receive a 5% discount per transaction.As of April 2016, 37.59% of commuters on the Purple Line use smart cards, while the rest purchase tokens.