Excited commuters throng new Krishnarajapura-Whitefield Metro stretch on first day of commercial operations

The metro stations between Whitefield and K.R. Pura turned into picnic spots on Sunday as commercial operations began on the new stretch of purple line which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 25.

The metro stations between Whitefield and K.R. Pura turned into picnic spots on Sunday as commercial operations began on the new stretch of purple line which was inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi on March 25.

Being a weekend, most of the commuters who took the metro were there for the “metro experience” while some members of the working crowd were calculating how much time it would take for them to reach their workplaces near Whitefield. Many of them whipped out their phones to take selfies and videos inside the trains as well as near the name boards at stations. 

“I stay near K.R. Pura and I travel at least 30-40 minutes everyday (one way) to ITPL, where I work. Today, I have come to check if I will save any time by taking metro everyday henceforth,” said Praveen Kumar, a passenger at KR Pura.

However, for most commuters, the major concern now is connecting missing link between Baiyyappanahalli and Krishnarajapura metro stations. “I am here today with my family to show my children how the Metro is. But its utility will be felt only when we get direct connectivity to Baiyyappanahalli and, thereby, to Majestic,” said Veera Sundar, a resident of Udaya Nagar near K.R. Pura. 

Despite these concerns, for most commuters, the new stretch is sure to be a time saver. “I travel towards Marathahalli every day and reaching KR. Pura from my residence in Varthur only took 50 minutes to an hour today. The metro will now cut the travel time down by almost half,” said Shruthi Lokapur, a commuter from the Whitefield metro station.