Namma Metro’s west line to be ready by mid-June

If all goes well, Bengalureans will be able to zoom past the 6.4 km-stretch between Magadi Road and Mysuru Road on Namma Metro by mid-June.

That is if the “structure gauge” (a metal structure made slightly larger than the coach that would ply on that line) checking the underground section of the east-west line deems it safe to take the train all the way to Magadi Road from Cubbon Park.

The gauge is being pushed manually to check whether the underground section is safe for the trial run of the train. The gauge moves along the tunnel checking for “infringements” which could be civil structures and wiring that may brush against the train. And, if there are any infringements corrections are made. The gauge that started from Cubbon Park (Minsk Square) on Wednesday reached Central College on Saturday.

Vasantha Rao, General Manager (Finance), Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL), said: “The gauge is expected to reach Magadi Road on Monday,” adding that the gauge had not encountered any major infringements so far. The small infringements that it encountered were “taken care of”, he said.

Once the gauge completes its journey from Minsk Square to Magadi Road and back, the train will move through the tunnel on Thursday. The train will take three days to reach Magadi Road as it will move slowly through the underground section which has different gradients. Also, it will not move on power but will be pushed by a battery-operated bogey tractor, BMRCL officials said. Mr. Rao said trials will start on the Magadi Road-Mysuru Road stretch on March 15, and will go on for a month. After that, information recorded during the trials will be given to safety engineers. If the information meets safety norms, trains will start operating.

Trials on Magadi Road-Mysuru Road stretch to start on March 15