JOIN USNow Namma Metro tunnel ride just a few months away
Bengalureans’ date with the underground stretch of Metro rail now seems closer than ever before.
Pending works on the underground stretch are to be completed soon to facilitate the trial run. Key works including third rail system, laying of power transmission cables and signalling are being carried out. BMRCL officials say that the preparatory work will be over by mid-September and then the trials will begin on the nearly five-kilometre underground stretch.
Entire purple line
If all goes well, the entire purple line - from Baiyappanahalli to Mysuru Road - will become operational. The east-west corridor (20 km) will be covered in a few minutes. Trains have been running on Reach-1 (MG Road-Baiyappanahalli) for a few years now. Officials say that once the trial run starts, it will take two to three months for the internal trials and another month or less for the Commissioner of Railway Safety (CRS) to give the necessary clearance to start commercial operations.
Already two Metro trains have passed through the tunnel, from Cubbon Park underground station to the elevated Magadi Road station, while they were transported to the Magadi Road-Mysuru Road stretch for trials there in March. Since there was no depot near either of the two stations (Mysuru Road station and Magadi Road station), the trains had to be transported through the underground route. In a way, the safety of the tunnels has already been established, said an official. The trains passed through the Vidhana Soudha, Central College, Majestic and City stations and emerged at the elevated Magadi Road station.
At the Cubbon Park underground station, BMRCL has already completed civil works. It has restored Cubbon Road and opened it for traffic. At the Vidhana Soudha underground station too, most of the civil works are over and BMRCL is in the process of restoring Ambedkar Veedhi above the station.
Magadi Rd-Mysuru Rd may open post-poll
The Magadi Road-Mysuru Road stretch may be opened for commercial operations after BBMP elections - the code of conduct for which is in place - if it gets the green signal from the CRS by then. The internal trial runs on the Magadi Road-Mysuru Road stretch have been completed by various agencies. Presently, BMRCL is focussing on applying for safety trials by the CRS on the stretch.