Even as Reach 1 of Namma Metro completes a year of operations, commuters are keen to know about the work on remaining reaches of the Metro network. DNA brings to you the status of construction on these reaches, as stated by BMRCL’s managing director, N Sivasailam. According to him Reach 3 will be the next to be commissioned.
Reach 2, extending from Leporosy Hospital to Mysore Road (6.4 km), will be the last to be commissioned. According to the MD this Reach will be opened along with the underground section. “Although the reach will be ready a few months before the underground section is opened, we will not commission it immediately. It does not make sense to begin operations along the stretch unless the underground section is ready,” Sivasailam said.
However, in an effort to be ready in time for the completion and commissioning of the underground stretch and with it the entire operations on Phase 1, continuous trials will be done along the reach. “We will run trials along the reach to make sure it is ready in time,” said the MD.
Reach 3 and 3 (a), the northern line from Sampige Road to Yeshwanthpur (5.1 km) and Yeshwanthpur to Peenya Industrial area (4.8km) will be the next reach that will be commissioned, according to Sivasailam. “We were hoping that the reach will be ready in March, but it has been delayed by about 4 months because of the 66 metre span bridge at Malleswaram, which is crucial part of the reach,” he said.
While the preliminary work (shifting of cables, etc) is being conducted right now, the design has been resent to the Commissioner of Railway safety to increase the speed of trains from 10 kilometres per hour to 20 kilometres. This reach is expected to be opened to public mid 2013.
Reach 4, the southern line from National College to Puttenahalli, a total of 8 kms is expected to be ready in the last quarter of 2014. The BMRCL has written a letter to the safety commissioner for permission to build a temporary depot at KR station for the maintenance of trains.
Underground section
The completion of the different reaches of Namma Metro will take it to various areas, however, in order for the connectivity to be complete, the underground sections, the crucial interchange station at Majestic, needs to be ready. Sivasailam said the work on the underground section was progressing steadily and was expected to be ready by the first half of 2014.
Sudhir Chandra, Director (P&P) said that work on the underground stretch was risky and one had to be cautious. “We have to make sure that the soil is stable and the progress has to be made slowly and carefully,” he said.
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