BENGALURU: Following a recent trip by a Bengaluru Metro team to China to expedite the shipment of coaches for Namma Metro, the first fully readied driverless train from the neighboring country is set to begin its sea voyage to Chennai Port on November 20, and will reach Bengaluru within a month.
The launch of the RV Road-Bommasandra Line (Yellow Line) via Electronics City and Central Silk Board awaits the arrival of this train, which has already missed multiple deadlines. The Reach-5 elevated line, running 19.15km, is expected to add nearly 1.5 lakh daily commuters to the present average of 7.5 lakh commuters per day on the Metro network. It will have 16 stations with an interchange at Jayadeva Hospital and a double-decker flyover from Ragigudda to Silk Board.
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Managing Director Anjum Parwez told The New Indian Express, “If everything goes as planned, the first train set will leave China on November 20 to Chennai. After Customs clearance, it will be brought to Bengaluru by road. We are expecting the train to be here on or before December 20. We can begin trials from January 2024 for three months. The April 2024 deadline for Reach-5 will be met after it is okayed by the Commissioner for Metro Rail Safety.”
The shells of 12 coaches arrived at Titagarh Wagons near Kolkata 25 days ago, and will have to be fitted with various facilities to ready them into two new trains, Parwez said. “It is a meticulous job and will be completed by March next year,” the MD added. This line alone requires seven trains. Another senior official said the main purpose of the BMRCL’s team visit was to check if the train cleared the factory test there so that it could be shipped to India.
“Clearance has been given by BMRCL and the team returned early this week,” he said. The earlier deadline given for the arrival of the first train was October 16, but was not honored. The trains are part of an order placed for 35 train sets, which would be supplied in phases by Titagarh in the future. Stations being completed
On the status of pending works on the line, Parwez said that Jayadeva Station is complete, while the facade work is being done for Central Silk Board Station. Work on the traction-related third rail (which supplies power to run the train) is going on. Some outdoor work in connection with signaling is also in progress. All this would be ready by the time the first train reaches Hebbagodi depot, he said.