BANGALORE: After a chaotic ride from M G Road to Byappanahalli with corporators and a contingent of BBMP officers, Chief Minister D V Sadananda Gowda chose to be noncommittal about the date of inauguration of Reach 1 of Namma Metro between the two stations. He voiced similar opinions as that of BMRCL and said that time line cannot be provided so soon.BMRCL is waiting for the safety certificate to open Reach 1 for the public. Metro officials say that they need three certificates, which includes the Shuttle of Dimensions certificate- which inspects the train and tracks and the Speed certificate. The commissioner for Rail Safety also has to conduct an inspection before issuing these certificates. For the inspection to take place, BMRCL needs a sanction from the Railway Board. “The Rail Safety department has been kind enough to process the project documents simultaneously as we wait for the physical inspection of the tracks and trains”, said N Sivasailam, Managing Director, BMRCL. But when asked about a specific time frame for the entire process, he also remained unsure.He added that BMRCL has already sent an invite to the new commissioner of Rail Safety to conduct the inspection. The inspection will take three or four days but neither BMRCL nor the State government has information about the process. The chief minister, however, conducted a quick inspection of Reach 1 and has reportedly told BMRCL that he is ‘happy’ with the progress. In an inspection that lasted twenty minutes, he travelled in the metro from M G Road to Byappanahalli and back. He gave no statement about the components of his inspection and announced no dates for the inauguration of the city’s first metro line.BMRCL has completed road works for Reach 1. N Sivasailam, managing director, BMRCL, said that currently roads are being fixed in the Reach 2 zone. He also added that the process of shifting utilities has been completed for Reach 1 and 2 Despite the lack of clarity on the inauguration date, schedules for the trains are expected to be announced next week. “The schedules are being tested and there will be a train every 8 or 10 minutes”, said Sivasailam. Four out of five trains will ply along the Reach 1 route.
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