The Bengaluru metro rail services along the Green Line, between RV Road and Yelachenahalli Stations will be suspended on November 17, 18 and 19. In a statement, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) said that the closure of train services would be to facilitate 'pre-commissioning' works for the Reach 4B project, an extension of the Green Line (Yelachenahalli to Nagasandra). Reach 4B will have an extended metro line between RV Road and Anjanapura.
Metro train services will be available only between Nagasandra and RV Road from 7 am to 9 pm on these three days. Train services will resume at 7 am on November 20, the statement said.
BMRCL officials said that the Commissioner of Railway Safety would inspect the operations of the metro rail for Reach 4B between RV Road and Anjanapura on November 18 and 19. The construction has been completed and the extended line will soon be ready for operations, the official said.
The inspection would include assessment of the civil, signalling and telecommunication infrastructure, the electrical systems and safety measures. The Commissioner for Railway Safety will also assess whether the safety standards have been met. BMRCL officials said that if the approvals are granted, train services can begin operations after November 20 along Reach 4B.
BMRCL managing Director Ajay Seth said that the agency expects to begin operations along the extended line by the end of November. “The inspection authority may also give feedback and those systems will have to be fixed. It is not necessary that the approvals will be given after the first inspection,” he said.
BMRCL had submitted its report regarding the operational capabilities along Reach 4B line in October this year. The metro stations along this line have been constructed along the median of the existing roads. This was primarily done to avoid land acquisition, which BMRCL officials said causes delay in construction. The metro stations along Reach 4B have been designed in a way so commuters can interchange between both the entrances of the respective metro stations without the need for a foot overbridge.