Bringing respite to thousands of commuters, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) resumed services on the entire Purple Line from Mysuru Road to Baiyappanahalli around 9.35 a.m on Tuesday.
The BMRCL had stopped services between M G. Road and Indiranagar stations from 8 p.m on December 28 to carry out maintenance work at Trinity station. The BMRCL had initially planned to resume services on Monday, but later extended the deadline to Tuesday.
Ajay Seth, MD, BMRCL said the problem of ‘honeycomb formation’ (concrete distress) on a beam on pillar number 155 had been fixed, and trains had started running as per the regular schedule.
“The train operation on this stretch is being monitored in real-time. At present, we are running trains at 30 kmph on the 260-metre stretch between M.G. Road and Trinity stations. During trial runs, trains were operated at 45 kmph. As per protocol we are observing the structure where repair work has been done,” he said.
On December 9 , during a routine inspection, officials had found a ‘honeycomb formation’ on the beam. On December 12, the BMRCL started preliminary maintenance work by erecting a supporting structure and decided to operate trains at a slower speed.
“During peak hours, trains were operated in five-minute frequency instead of three minutes. On Monday, we had suspended operation of six-coach trains. But now, normalcy has been restored,” an official said.
The BMRCL had operated over 100 free bus shuttle services from Cubbon Park to Baiyappnahalli to minimise the inconvenience to passengers. The bus services were made available till 10 a.m. on Tuesday.
Safety audit plan
The BMRCL is now gearing up for a safety audit of the entire 42-km Phase I.
Mr. Seth said, “A lot of planning has to be done before taking up the safety audit. A detailed action plan has to be prepared. Experts in the field will be consulted. A plan is likely to be ready by January-end. It may require up to five months to complete the audit.”
