Metro green line trial runs to begin today

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) will start 1.2-km trial runs of the green train within the Peenya depot on Wednesday.

The train will ferry passengers along the North-South corridor after Reach-3 (the 12.4-km stretch from Sampige Road in Malleswaram to Nagasandra near Peenya) of the Namma Metro is commissioned.

The announcement was made by Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda after he reviewed the progress of the Metro work along with top officials.

Reach-3 near complete

He said that in Reach-3, the infrastructure work achievement was about 96 per cent, and the stretch would be thrown open to the public by February 2013.

BMRCL chief engineer (Reach-3) P N Nayak told Deccan Herald that three trains for the green line had arrived at the Peenya depot and trial runs would be conducted within the depot, before plying them on actual tracks.

Later addressing the media, Gowda set deadlines for the various reaches of Metro. He pointed out the need to speed up work at certain stretches. “We are striving hard to complete the entire phase 1 of the Namma Metro by December 2013.

We have also initiated talks with the Centre for taking up the second phase of the mass rapid transport system to ease traffic congestion in City. Phase 2 of the Metro requires Rs 26,405 crore. The State government is negotiating with the Centre in this regard,” he said.

The first phase of the Metro was inaugurated in October 2011 with trains running along the 6.5-km-long stretch between MG Road and Byappanahalli stations. The first phase covers 42.3 km.

Gowda said that about 89 per cent of the viaduct works on Reach-2 (Leprosy Hospital to Mysore Road) had been completed. The progress in other reaches was about 60 per cent.

He said work on the rail station at Majestic would take time to complete because of its multiple levels of infrastructure needs. Work at Majestic will be completed only by May 2014.