Bangalore’s ‘Namma Metro’ to roll out on October 20

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Bangalore Oct. 16, 2011: The long-awaited Rs 6,000 crore Bangalore’s Metro Rail or ‘Namma Metro’ will formally be inaugurated on October 20.

According to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL), the Union Minister for Urban Development, Mr Kamal Nath, is expected to inaugurate Metro Rail’s Reach I which connects Baiyappanahalli to MG road.

The Metro Rail is expected to tackle congestion in the eastern parts of the city which is the gateway to the Information Technology (IT) hub, especially Old Madras Road, Whitefield and ITPB.

Reach I (Baiyappanahalli - MG Road) is a 9 kilometre stretch on which the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation plans to run three-car train. BMRCL is expecting at least 20,000 to 25,000 people to travel on the inaugural day.

Recently, the Chief Minister, Mr D. V. Sadananda Gowda, and Karnataka Urban Development Minister, Mr S. Suresh Kumar, met Mr Kamal Nath, and invited the Union Minister to inaugurate the project.

The inauguration was tentatively scheduled to be held around the Ganesha festival but was postponed due to the non availability of the Prime Minister and other Central Government Ministers. Metro Rail also got delayed for want of various Railway safety certifications. Now it is said that the speed of the metro rail has been curtailed to 68 km per hour from the originally granted 75 km per hour.

The Karnataka Government with the help of Central Government funding has been executing the project to ease traffic congestion in the city.


Namma Metro Vigil
Indeed, security concerns have been given top priority in the city’s most ambitious infrastructure project yet. There are CCTV cameras through the length of the stations, and each brightly lit, air-conditioned coach has four surveillance cameras. The doorframe scanners are already up while the baggage scanners are winging their way from Singapore. Every piece of luggage will be scanned and the no-nos include the usual contraband such as drugs, explosives and fire hazards, as well as relatively harmless accessories such as livestock (that includes pets). And no, no eatables either. “In fact, we’re not even going to allow any kiosk selling eatables,” Mr. Chandra said. There is a ban on bottles also, though BMRCL will take a call on water bottles as plenty of commuters pack their lunch with them.

The seats are plain, without any dark curves and corners, again a security precaution.

Like security, the safety measures are also in place: emergency exits, push-buttons to stop the train or even completely switch off power in case someone has fallen off the platform or in case of fire.

There is no fear of power blackout. There are two electrical stations — HAL and Hoody — feeding the Byappanahalli terminus, the nerve centre of the operations on Phase 1, Reach 1 of Namma Metro.

Excitement was palpable among the clutch of BMRCL personnel who accompanied the media. “We’re all talking about twenty-ten, twenty-eleven,” said BMRCL Managing Director N. Sivasailam with a big smile, referring to the launch date. “After the initial novelty factor, we expect a passenger traffic of 25,000 daily on the 7-km stretch,” Mr. Chandra said, adding that priority was for comfort and safety. Pointing out that the coaches are classless, he said: “No traffic jams, no two-wheelers getting in the way, you save time.”

Courtesy: The Hindu