JOIN USStarting September 1, trains heading out of the City railway station towards Yeshwantpur and beyond and vice versa may have to move at snail’s pace till they get out of the city limits.
BMRCL has written to the divisional railway manager, South Western Railway (SWR), to restrict the speed of the trains to 20 km/hour on both the tracks of the section passing through Malleswaram, where BMRCL is set to build a 66-metre metro viaduct span.
BMRCL has also sought approval from the Commissioner for Metro Railway Safety for construction of this viaduct at Malleswaram to link Sampige Road Metro station and Srirampura Metro station along Reach 3 (connecting Sampige Road to Yeshwantpur).
“The construction of this bridge is vital for opening the line from Sampige Road Metro station (Swastik) to Peenya and Hesaraghatta Cross metro station,” said the letter dated August 18.
BMRCL has also requested 26 traffic blocks, each of two-and-half hours at any time of the day or night, with effect from September 20 for launching the trusses, steel beams and other staging materials spanning the tracks.
The Corporation said it has submitted proof-checked designs and drawings of the viaduct span on August 21 as per the instructions of the Railway Board.
When contacted, an SWR official said the request from BMRCL had been sent to the central office in Hubli and also to the Union Ministry of Railways.
“We are awaiting replies from them. Slowing down the trains at Malleswaram stretch won’t be a problem as most of the trains usually do so, since a station is located nearby and it is within the city limits,” said a senior official from SWR.