Trial run on the south line begins: Metro in 2019 will help techies log in faster

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) hopes to commence services on the 15.5-km Baiyappanahalli ITPL (Whitefield) stretch by the end of 2019.
The technology community has been eagerly waiting for the services on the elevated section, which covers 14 stations.

IT professionals working in this software hub cur rently get down either at Swami Vivekananda station or at the Baiyappanahalli station and take public or private transport to reach their workplace.

“ For the Baiyappana halli Whitefield section, tenders for civil works are being floated. The civil works will take about 24 months to complete,“ BMRCL managing director PS Kharola said on Sunday .

The metro authorities are in the process of paying compensation for the plots of land acquired for the stretch, and the construction work will commence soon, he added.

The Mysuru Road-Kengeri section under the phase II, for which work is going on in full swing, will be ready for commissioning by early 2018, Kharola added. The 6.5-km section covers five stations.

Bengaluru development minister KJ George on Sunday received the metro train on the south line at the National College station, along with Jayanagar MLA BN Vijayakumar and other senior Namma Metro officials. The train has begun the trial run on the elevated section of the south line raising hopes among the residents of south Bengaluru.

Vijayakumar expressed happiness and said people have been eagerly waiting for the services to commence on the south line ever since the civil works were completed about two years ago.

George and Kharola said phase I has cleared all critical hurdles.

By the end of next month, the metro plans to commence the trial run on the second track too, in the south line. “All civil works under the phase I are more or less complete.The phase I is on track,“ the BMRCL MD said.

In response to a question, the minister said they will complete phase I and kick-start services as per the set deadline, provided all safety clearances are in place before that.

SBI ATM at MG Road Metro Station

The BMRCL has permitted the State Bank of India (SBI) to offer ATM services at its metro stations. The SBI will start its ATM services at the MG Road station. BMRCL managing director PS Kharola said the initiative came from the SBI, which made a request. They are open to considering requests from other banks as well, he said.