The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Thursday carried out a trial run of the metro route between Yelachenahalli and Anjanapura, which is part of the second phase of the Namma Metro project in Bengaluru.
Chief PRO of the BMRCL, Yeshwanth Chavan, told TNM on Thursday that the trial run will be carried over the next 30 days over the 6 kilometre long route.
“The metro trial run is being carried out from Yelachenahalli to Anjanapura, which is around 6 kilometres long. This will be conducted in different phases for 30 days. The different system parameters of speeds are being monitored for safety purposes and it will begin with the slowest to the maximum speed it can run,” he said.
TNM had earlier reported that the elevated section of the Yelachenahalli – Anjanapura line will be commissioned on November 1, which is also the state formation day-Karnataka Rajyotsava.
The route will have five stops: Anjanapura Road Cross, Krishnaleela Park (ISKON), Vajarahalli, Talaghattapura and Anjanapura Township. This is the first route under Namma Metro’s Phase 2 project that is expected to open.
The project has suffered much delay — earlier, it was supposed to be completed by 2018 and the deadline was pushed to August 2020. However, due to the pandemic and the subsequent lockdown, construction activities had been stopped, leading to further delays.
Karnataka Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa has also indicated willingness to restart metro services in Bengaluru.
"Despite COVID-19 pandemic normalcy in public life is being restored step by step. Taking all the necessary precautionary measures, Metro services will be restarted soon," CM Yediyurappa told PTI.
Metro services have been prohibited across the country since March 2020, since the nationwide lockdown was imposed due to the COVID-19 pandemic. According to reports, the Ministry of Home Affairs may greenlight the restarting of metro train services from September 1, under the ‘Unlock 4.0’ guidelines.