Bengaluru: Metro gets its crucial link

Bengaluru: Metro commuters have waited for long for the crucial Kempegowda station-Sampige Road Mantri Mall track. First, it was scheduled to open in June/July 2016 and then in November.

But there is some hope now, as the physical infrastructure of the Underground stretch has been completed. But what is not good news is that the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation may miss the April deadline for the entire Phase 1 (North South-East West) corridor.

“The tests and trials for the section will be completed by April 15. Then the safety check will take place. Once the safety clearance is given, commercial operations will begin within a few days," said BMRCL Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola.

But experts said that it cannot be done before May as the tests take a long time.
Bengaluru Development Minister K.J. George inaugurated the underground line between Mantri Mall and Kempegowda station by travelling gthrough the 2 km tunnel on a trolley.

He said, “There should be proper parking facilities for Phase 1. Toilet and maintenance must improve. BMRCL will take up restoration of footpaths around construction areas. They will also construct skywalks connecting Kempegowda Metro and City Railway Station."

BMRCL said that 10 tests are in progress, while eight more are scheduled to start in a week. The Rajajinagar-Sampige link will be halted temporarily in the near future.

“To bring the train into this underground stretch, we will stop trains passing through Rajajinagar and Sampige for a week. We will announce the dates in advance and add feeder buses,” Mr Kharola said.

There are quite a few safety features in the underground link to tackle emergencies. A fire test was also conducted before Mr George. A smoke bomb was dropped and a small fire broke out, which was shortly killed by a gust of wind.

Chief Engineer Hega Reddy said, “There is a tunnel ventilation system at the Kempegowda station. If there is a fire, the staff is alerted and fans are switched on from both sides to put out fires. There is another booster inside the tunnel to add to the wind. Even before the firemen reach, the wind will be able to do part of the job of saving passengers. A steel platform is fixed on the side for passengers to walk.”

Who will it help
Waiting for a feeder bus at Mantri Mall Metro station, Ms Hema, a government employee, said, “I travel every day from Sampige Road to Byyappanahalli. It takes about an hour with the interchange, and I have to wait for the feeder bus. Once Sampige Road is connected, I can travel easily to and from work."

“People have been asking for the Kempegowda station-Mantri Mall stretch for a long time now. For reasons best known to BMRCL, they want to open the entire green line together. If they just open this one section first, it will benefit people," said Mr Srinidhi, a member of PraajaRAAG.