After missing several deadlines, works to extend the Mysuru Road-Kengeri Purple line of the Bengaluru Metro are on. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has announced that the power lines on this stretch will be tested on March 16 by passing 750 volts dc of power through the lines. In light of this, the BMRCL has advised the public to be careful around the construction site of the Mysuru Road-Kengeri line, as it could pose an electrocution hazard to commuters.
The entire line from Mysuru Road Road to Kengeri, via Nayandahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Jananabharathi, Pattanagare and Kengeri Bus terminal will be under the process of construction, where 33 kilovolts of 750 V dc current will be passed on to the viaduct. A statement issued by the BMRCL also stated that it will not be responsible for any accidents to commuters that occur during this period, as a caution notice has been issued.
“This is all a part of the system. We need an uninterrupted power supply for the extension work and that is why the lines are being charged with electricity. People are advised not to enter the area of construction”, said Yeshwanth Chavan, Chief PRO of BMRCL, adding that the extension works will be completed by June 2021.
At present, the Bengaluru metro currently consists of two lines-- the Purple Line between Baiyyappanahalli and Mysuru Road and the Green Line between Nagasandra and Yelachenahalli. The Purple Line connects Baiyyappanahalli in the east with Mysuru Road in southwest Bengaluru. The line passes through prime activity centres of the city, including MG Road, Majestic, Railway Station and Vidhana Soudha. Extension works are currently underway at both ends of the line.
After facing a series of delays, the metro rail extension project was commissioned under Phase 2 of the Namma Metro Project in Bengaluru in January 2021. Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa, in his Budget speech in February, had said that this line will be completed by 2020. The BMRCL had originally planned to complete the track-laying work by December. However, the project was delayed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.