Bengaluru: The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has received provisional sanction from the Railway Board for the new BEML trains, bringing the elevated Pink Line closer to opening for passengers.
Railway Board sanction clears key hurdle
The Railway Board’s approval is an important requirement for commissioning the 7.5-km elevated section between Kalena Agrahara and Tavarekere. BMRCL will submit the sanction along with other documents to the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) for the mandatory safety inspection.
BMRCL has also received the Independent Safety Assessor (ISA) certificate for the signalling system.
The Railway Board has authorised BMRCL to operate six-coach trains on the section at a maximum speed of 80 kmph when the secondary air spring is fully inflated. The permitted speed is 49 kmph when the air suspension is in deflated mode.
CMRS inspection expected soon
BMRCL officials met CMRS (Southern Circle) V Venkatasubramanian on Wednesday and submitted documents required for the statutory inspection.
The CMRS is expected to inspect the line by the end of September. If the inspection is completed and approval granted, passenger services could begin shortly afterwards, subject to the necessary government clearances.
Initially, the trains will operate under Grade of Automation 2 (GoA2), which involves semi-automatic train operation. The Railway Board has said separate approval will be required before the trains can operate in higher automation modes, including driverless or unattended operation.
BMRCL plans to deploy six trains on the 7.5-km corridor, with services every six minutes during peak hours and every 10 minutes during non-peak periods.
The development marks a significant step towards opening the Pink Line and improving metro connectivity along Bengaluru’s Bannerghatta Road corridor.