Bangalore Metro Begins Trial Runs to Madavara on Green Line

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) on Saturday morning started trial runs (train testing) on Bangalore Metro Green Line’s 3.031 km Reach 3C connecting Nagasandra – Madavara.

Reach 3C is the smallest elevated extension of the 73.92 km Bangalore Metro Phase 2 project. It comprises of 3 new elevated stations on Tumkur Road at Manjunathnagar, Chikkabidarakallu (formerly Jindal) and Madavara (formerly BIEC).

This major milestone comes exactly a year after Reach 3C’s civil contractor, Simplex Infrastructure, launched the line’s final 53m long steel composite girder, among a string of 3 twin girders, just east of Madavara Station.

To facilitate the trial run, the line’s 750 V DC Third Rail system was charged up on Friday. As always, the sole objective of the first run at a low-speed was to check for Schedule of Dimensions (SOD) clearances and observe the train’s interaction with the civil structure to ensure there are no physical obstructions along the way.

Reach 3C is the most troubled section of the entire Phase 2 project. BMRCL had awarded its Rs. 298.65 crore civil construction contract to Simplex way back in February 2017 with a 27 month deadline.

Besides BMRCL struggling with land acquisition from Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Ltd (NICE) for years, Simplex Infra ran into financial difficulties which slowed things down on Reach 3C and led to the termination of their contract for Pink Line (Reach 6)’s 7.501 km elevated section between Dairy Circle Ramp and Kalena Agrahara in February 2021.

A bunch of videos shot by BMRCL can be viewed here.

In the coming weeks, various subsystems like the signaling & electrification systems, installed by Alstom, will be tested. The train’s response to being operated at different speeds & braking will be monitored along with the behavior of the track system installed by Texmaco Rail & Engineering.

BMRCL hasn’t publicly announced a plan or deadline for operationalizing this section, but it should happen sometime in Q4 (October – December). By then architectural finishing works at Madavara Station, which was off to a late start, should also be wrapped up.

The exact launch date now broadly depends on how quickly testing is completed & then certified by BMRCL’s independent safety assessor (ISA), followed by an inspection & certification by Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS), and finally the availability of local ministers who’d want to present for the launch event.

When operationalized, Bangalore Metro’s network will become approximately 75.2 km strong with the Green Line becoming 33 km long connecting Madavara – Silk Institute with 32 stations.

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– TMRG