Lack of rail safety clearance caused Metro launch delay

In its communication to the Secretary to the Urban Development Ministry, BMRCL promised to take all steps to put things in place so that the Metro could be inaugurated at the earliest.

It is also learnt that Union Urban Development Minister Kamal Nath was not inclined to be present at the inaugural without the Metro getting the required clearances. He instructed his officials that unless all required clearances were in place, the project should not be inaugurated.

In his budget speech, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa had announced that the inauguration of the project’s commercial operations of Reach-I (Baiyappanahalli-M G Road) would be scheduled for April 4 --  the day of Ugadi.

Urban Development Ministry sources said that until the project received all mandatory clearances from different organisation, including the CRS, it would not be inaugurated. But the sources did not specify when the mandatory clearances would be available for successful launch of Metro’s  commercial operations. The Bangalore Metro project is a joint venture between the Centre and the State government with the Union Urban Development Secretary as chairman of the Board.

Before starting commercial operations, BMRCL has to get safety clearance from the CRS which works under the Union Ministry of Civil Aviation.

Besides, BMRCL has to get two key certificates -- speed and schedule of dimension (SOD) -- from the Research Designs and Standards Organisation (RDSO), a Lucknow based-organisation functioning under the Indian Railways.

“As the RDSO conducts technical investigation of signaling, telecommunication, equipment and track components, the certificate is a must. Though provisional approval for the SOD is likely in a couple of days, the certificate for speed may be delayed further due to some technical reasons,” sources said.

The BMRCL has to get some technical clearances, including  oscillation trail, tracks and signaling test, and if all these parameters are met, only then it may get the CRS clearance, sources said.