BMRCL Begins Trial Runs Between Nat’l College – Yelachenahalli
With a train now stationed at the National College Station, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. on Monday started trial runs (testing) on the 8 km southern ‘Reach 4-4A’ stretch of the 24.20 km Green Line from National College – Yelachenahalli. The train initially ran between National College & Jayanagar and was operated by a 4 member crew at 10 km per hour with a primary aim to look out for any flaws in the track-system and third rail from which Bangalore’s trains derive power.
In the coming weeks, BMRCL’s engineers will operate the train further south to Yelachenahalli (earlier known as Puttenahalli) and constantly monitor the train’s response at higher speeds, braking & track system performance as well as the interconnection with the Operations Control Centre (OCC). Integrated or rigorous trial runs are expected to begin only after the up-line track and subsystems within the entire underground section are installed by April 2017.
The elevated section between National College – Yelachenahalli, comprises of 2 sub-sections:
• Reach 4 – National College to Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road – 4.1 km with stations at: National College, Lalbagh, South End Circle, Jayanagar & RV Road.
• Reach 4A – Rashtreeya Vidyalaya Road to Yelachenahalli – 3.9 km with stations at: Banashankari, JP Nagar & Yelachenahalli
Map of Bangalore Metro’s Reach 4 & 4A – view Bangalore Metro information
Entering Lalbagh Station – Photo Copyright: BMRCL
Lal Bagh Station – Photo Copyright: BMRCL
Between South End & Jayanagar Station – Photo Copyright: BMRCL
Jayanagar Metro Station – Photo Copyright: BMRCL
Inspection team at Jayanagar Station – Photo Copyright: BMRCL
As far as opening goes, the BMRCL’s MD recently indicated they will approach the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) to inspect the Green Line’s entire 12 km pending section from Sampige Road to Yelachenahalli. This includes the 4 km underground section where major finishing works at all 3 stations & shafts at Majestic & Chickpet are pending – see some images here & here. So with this new plan in place, there will be no partial inaugurations and the entire line will open for commercial operations in one-go towards the end of 2017.
For more updates, check out the Bangalore section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
End of 2017 is still an year away – that’s disappointing (yet again). By that time the stations and infra on the line would’ve been idle for 3 years!! It would’ve been more prudent for BMRCL to have constructed this section at a later point in time and use the money at other places to speed up. I’m not an expert, of course but I am not sure the logic behind this kind of execution. IMHO they should just let trains run as far as possible as soon as possible in Bangalore. However limited the results there will be some help from Traffic congestion.
And we are not hearing any news about land acquisition for Phase-II these days which is sad !!!! :O
Are we even going to have a proper network to connect entire city before I plan to retire in another 30 years or before the city chokes on itself, for that matter? I don’t know.
You are not stupid. And hence, over qualified to work at BMRCL’s planning committee.
TMRG, have they constructed the RV Road station while keeping in mind that it will be a interchange station or will they have to start on that again?
Thank you.
Hi, they’ll construct a parallel new station on its western side. Its location is currently being finalized.
Solar panels installed in BMRCL depots – NEWS9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=osifUWqkkBY
Hi, the visuals in the video are from elsewhere as they just signed an agreement earlier this month.
I congratulate Namma Metro for working tirelessly in completing Phase 1. Fools always keep complaining no understanding the ground reality. Thank you Metro team.
The only fools are here are us, always believing whatever the deadlines BMRCL spouts.
As TMRG here has repeatedly shown again and again, there is a massive lack of planning and organisation at the top level. They take over an year for bids, and then sanction the bids in the wrong order. They order the unconnected elevated stretch first without even thinking about the connecting underground (and time taking stretch) which then delays the entire project.
They do soil tests and then order the wrong heads for the TBM cutters.
This entire Phase has been nothing but a Comedy of Errors. Even now the BMRCL is fooling us by saying a timeline of completion in Q1 2017. And as TMRG has been saying since a few years, it isn’t going to be completed by Q4 2017, and so far every single of this timeline prediction (of when the tunnelling will complete, construction times, etc.) has been accurate.
So, either they are morons, or they are taking us for morons,
I would love to know the ground reality – other than the one that has resulted from the apathy and incompetence of responsible people.
Working tirelessly? 9 years for completion of less than 3/4 of phase-1 in a traffic choked city where approximately 65Bn rupees is lost due to traffic delays (as per BBC article)?
Probably this was meant for other metro projects being executed in other cities.
Please enlighten.
I am amazed by your patience and hope. 10 years to build a metro !!!!
Andhra will build a complete new city in a lesser time.
I feel they should start the stretch between National college and Yelachenahalli. Though this is not the complete picture, but it will atleast ease the traffic between JP Nagar and South end circle. The ideal scenario would have been the inauguration of the complete line within Q1 of 2017 (which in itself is far away from the ideal scenario of completion of phase 1 by 2014 🙂 ), but since it would take another year, better to have something than nothing