Kengeri metro operations likely to commence before end of August

The Reach 2 extension will undergo safety inspection on August 11 and 12

The Namma Metro Phase 2 line between Mysore Road and Kengeri (Reach 2 extension) will undergo safety inspection by the Commissioner of Railway Safety on August 11 and 12.

If everything goes well, the 7.5 km line may get clearance within a few days, allowing officials to commence operations on the line before the end of August, putting an end to the long wait by commuters.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has failed to meet multiple deadlines for the project over the last three years, from December 2018 till now. Among other issues, the financial crisis in the original contractor for the project, IL&FS, delayed the works by nearly a year. Covid-19 gave the final blow last year when thousands of workers left for their home towns in northern parts of the country.

Read | Namma Metro extends operations till 9 pm

Sources in BMRCL said the delay in getting the fire safety certification for the large parking space of one of the stations led to the inspection being pushed over to August. "Everything was ready by June 30 save for some minor works which are not part of safety inspection. Several days were lost in getting the fire safety certificate," the source said.

As per an estimate made in the pre-Covid times, the Reach 2 extension line is expected to boost the daily ridership by 75,000.

The project was awarded at an estimated cost of Rs 659 crore. Officials had hoped to reduce the cost by about Rs 75 crore when the contract was modified in 2019.