Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s promise that Namma Metro will start its commercial run between Peenya Industry and Sampige Road stations by November this year might not become a reality since civil works at some of the stations are yet to be completed, even as Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) is awaiting technical clearances.
According to BMRCL’s admission, 80 per cent of the civil works are completed in Peenya Industry, Peenya Village, Mahakavi Kuvempu Road and Malleswaram (Sriramapura) stations on this stretch, which is part of Reaches 3 and 3a of Namma Metro Phase 1.
On the other hand, civil works at the Sampige Road Metro Station, being built on public-private partnership by Mantri Infrastructure, appeared to have been completed by just about 50 per cent. Since the station lies off the main approach road — Sampige Road — traffic arrangements to connect the station with the approach road are yet to be made. Also, roofs for this station have not yet been erected. The Peenya village station too appeared just half complete with works on staircases and escalators yet to get the necessary momentum.
Opening of the stretch for commercial operations is expected to drastically reduce the vehicular traffic on the busy Sampige and Tumkur Roads since they connect the heart of the city with Peenya, one of the biggest industrial areas in the State. It is estimated that road corridors in this reach have at least one-fourth of 6,300 bus routes of Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, even as thousands of private vehicles, two-wheelers as well as four wheelers, make daily trips. On the technical side, the Research Design and Standards Organisation (RDSO), Lucknow, under the Ministry of Railways, is yet to issue the speed certificate to enable BMRCL to conduct oscillation tests. On successful completion of the oscillation tests, BMRCL can request the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) to conduct safety trials before issuing the authorisation to open the line for general public. The corporation has been conducting speed trials since two months to generate data that has to be supplied to RDSO to avail the speed certificate.
