Bengaluru metro's footfalls spike after Purple Line inauguration. More details

The BMRCL is also reportedly expecting the daily ridership to touch 7 lakhs in near future.

The Purple Line metro operations in Bengaluru which kick-started on Monday increased the footfalls for Namma Metro in the IT capital. The new metro stretches are expected to be lifelines for the IT employees who work at ITPL, Hoodi and Whitefield areas, home to many IT parks.

Bengaluru Metro's Purple Line begins its full operations: (X/@bykarthikreddy)

According to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), on Monday, the Namma Metro saw total footfalls of 6,80,894, out of which 61,179 were on Baiyappanahalli – Whitefield stretch on the purple line which recently opened. Before the Baiyappanahalli – KR Puram line was opened, the average daily ridership between KR Puram – Whitefield was 28,000 and the footfalls saw more than 100 per cent spike after the new line inauguration.

The BMRCL is also reportedly expecting the daily ridership to touch seven lakhs as most of the IT employees are making the metro as their preferred choice of public transport in Bengaluru.

To enhance the last mile connectivity, paid parking facilities were arranged at a few newly opened metro stations. The BMTC is also running feeder bus services to metro stations and all the efforts together are expected to reduce the brutal traffic congestions of east Bengaluru.

A total of six coaches are set to operate on the purple line with 180 trips every day, making the commute easy for those who work in Whitefield and surrounding areas. The train frequency is set according to the peak hours to manage the high footfalls.

During morning peak hours, trains will run with a frequency of 5 to 10 minutes on the purple line. Between Majestic station and MG Road, a train will be available every three minutes. During non-peak hours, trains will be available with a frequency of 8 to 15 minutes.