Bangalore Metro Lines Explained: What Is Running, Being Built and Only Planned (October 2026)
The word "metro" appears in nearly every Bangalore property pitch, though it can refer to a train running this morning or to a line that may never leave the drawing board. Telling the difference protects the price paid. This guide goes through the network as of October 2026, answers the questions buyers raise, and ends with a method for comparing two homes.
Which Lines Can Be Ridden Today?
Three of them. Together they have 83 stations. The lengths are 43.49 km for Purple, 33.46 km for Green and 19.15 km for Yellow, which makes 96.1 km of operating network.
The Purple Line has 37 stations and crosses the city from Challaghatta in the south-west to Whitefield, serving Kengeri, Mysore Road, Vijayanagar, Majestic, Indiranagar and MG Road on the way. The last leg, from KR Pura out to Whitefield, was inaugurated in March 2023 and transformed access to ITPL.
The Green Line has 32 stations between Madavara, on the Tumkur Road side, and Silk Institute. Its northern half serves Malleshwaram, Rajajinagar, Yeshwanthpur and Peenya, and passengers switch to Purple at Majestic. The southern half covers Basavanagudi, Jayanagar and Banashankari, so its catchment is the older, settled residential belt.
August 2025 saw the Yellow Line begin service. Its 16 stations start at RV Road, which has the connection to the Green Line, and end at Bommasandra. In between are BTM Layout, Hosa Road, Bommanahalli, the Silk Board junction and Electronic City.
Which Lines Are Being Built?
Two, the Pink and the Blue, and each has moved its dates more than once. Building a commute plan around them is risky.
Pink Line, Kalena Agrahara to Nagawara
The plan has 18 stations, with Kalena Agrahara at the southern end, close to Bannerghatta Road, and Nagawara at the northern end. Six stations on a 7.5 km viaduct, ending at Tavarekere, are finished and have been through trial runs. Trains will carry passengers once the metro railway safety commissioner gives clearance.
Beyond Tavarekere the line goes underground at Dairy Circle and continues by way of Cantonment, Shivajinagar and MG Road, which will open later. It is due to meet Yellow at Jayadeva Hospital and Purple at MG Road. Bannerghatta Road homes benefit first.
Blue Line, from Silk Board towards the airport
The 30 planned stations come in two parts. Part one is 19.75 km beside the ring road, running through Bellandur and Marathahalli between Silk Board and KR Pura. Part two covers 38.44 km, starting at KR Pura and going via Nagawara, Hebbal and Yelahanka to the airport.
BMRCL now expects part one to start running in 2027, and the airport section will follow later. Interchanges are planned with Yellow at Silk Board and with Purple at KR Pura. When Pink and Blue are both open, the network is expected to stretch to about 175 km.
What Is Only Approved or Proposed?
Two later phases have reached approvals and tenders. For a buyer their worth comes from thinking about an area over many years, and none of it belongs in today's price.
Phase 3 is 44.65 km long with 31 stations, and Union Cabinet approval came on 16 August 2024. The larger part is the Orange Line, 32.15 km, on the western ring road between JP Nagar 4th Phase and Kempapura, near Sumanahalli Cross and Mysore Road. The smaller part, 12.50 km, goes along Magadi Road, linking Hosahalli with Kadabagere.
The state wants Phase 3 built as a double-decker design with a road flyover under the metro track, at an extra cost of Rs. 9,700 crore. The first civil tenders went out in 2026, while the completion year was pushed back from 2030 to 2031. Residents along the route will face diversions for years before a train runs.
Phase 3A, the Red Line, is the proposal for Sarjapur Road. It runs 37.8 km after the February 2026 revision, between Hebbal and Sarjapura, taking in the central area, then Koramangala, Agara and Dairy Circle. The state's cabinet gave its approval on 6 December 2024, while the Centre's is awaited. Sarjapur Road has no station today, and the opening year is undecided.
How Much Should the Stage Matter?
The status of a line says more about its worth than its size or cost. This table turns that idea into a rule for comparing homes.
| Stage | Weight in the decision |
|---|---|
| Running | Full, after testing the walk at commuting hours |
| Under construction | A later benefit, with dust, diversions and possible delay first |
| Approved, at tender | A long-term plus, many years away |
| Proposed only | Zero; keep it out of the price |
Walking distance settles the rest. A station ten minutes away alters daily routines, whereas one reached by auto or feeder bus helps much less. Near Majestic, RV Road or KR Pura, a home gets two lines to choose from.
Testing a Metro Claim in an Advertisement
Most advertisements show a station near the project but are silent on the line or its status. Five questions settle that. Which line and station is it, on the BMRCL map? Is the station working, being built or just planned?
How long does the walk from the gate take, and what crossings come in between? Is the road outside on an alignment where land still has to be acquired? What does a comparable home farther away cost, which shows what the metro adds? The purchase should still make sense if the line misses its opening date.
