Dreaded Bengaluru road traffic gets some reprieve as Purple Line of metro opens

Bengaluru is as famous for its pleasant weather as it is infamous for its chocker-blocked road traffic situations. But while driving at a snail's pace may have become part of routine for many in the city, there is a new option for many others. The Purple Line of the Bengaluru metro began operations from Monday and many locals took to social media channels to highlight how much more convenient it was than taking a car or bike.

Two lines of Namma Metro - Krishnarajapuram – Baiyappanahalli and Kengeri – Challaghatta - were opened on Monday. This effectively opened the entire stretch of Whitefield in the east and Challaghatta in the west, a distance of around 43 kilometres, to commuters. There are a total of 37 stations in the entire stretch.

The metro service network in Bengaluru is currently the second-largest in the country, behind only Delhi Metro. The opening of the entire Whitefield-Challaghatta stretch is significant because Whitefield has a number of tech parks and thousands of people work here. The metro services not only adds to the convenience of those travelling between the two stretches but is more than likely to take off many private vehicles which would otherwise be used for personal commuting. Additionally, it relieves pressure on other mass-transit options as well.

According to reports, the entire stretch will take around 82 minutes to cover each way. It is further reported that the train frequency on the stretch will be anywhere between eight minutes to 15 minutes, depending on the time of day. Tickets are priced at around ₹60 per person for the entire stretch.