JOIN USCrucial three-day test for Whitefield metro line from February 22
A K Rai, the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (Southern Circle), will start a three-day inspection of the 12.75-km K R Puram-Whitefield metro line on Wednesday. The CMRS inspection is the crucial final step in commissioning a metro line.
BMRCL boss Anjum Parwez said that the CMRS would check everything — from civil, mechanical, electrical and signalling systems to station work. If the CMRS is satisfied that everything is in order, he will issue a certificate in two to three days. But if he makes a remark and asks for adjustments, compliance will take 10 days more, Parwez said.
“We will need a minimum of 15 days to commission the line,” he told DH.
Currently, speed trials are being run with five train sets at a speed of 90 kmph on the straight section of the stretch and at 80 kmph on the curved section.
7 train sets for Whitefield
The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) will use seven train sets to serve the KR Puram-Whitefield section once it’s opened to the public.
The K R Puram-Whitefield is part of the 15.25-km Whitefield-Baiyappanahalli line, which is an extension of the Purple Line. The opening of the K R Puram-Whitefield line will provide metro connectivity to Bengaluru’s eastern IT hubs, easing traffic congestion in a neighbourhood that’s notorious for vehicular jams.
The 2.5-km Baiyappanahalli-K R Puram section has been delayed because of the placement of an Open Web Girder across the railway track at Benniganahalli. The OWG was placed on February 3. The Baiyappanahalli-K R Puram section is expected to open in June.
The 1.8-km Kengeri-Chellaghatta metro line will also open in June while the 18.82-km line connecting RV Road with Bommasandra (near Electronics City) will open in October this year, Parwez said.