BENGALURU: The trial runs for the Green Line extension of the Metro have officially commenced. On Sunday morning, signal testing began along the 3.14-kilometre stretch between Nagasandra and Madavara. The existing Metro line, which currently extends from Silk Board to Nagasandra, is now being extended to Madavara, near the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre.
Officials confirmed that the initial trial runs on the Reach-35 line are being conducted between Madavara and Nagasandra, with trains operating at speeds ranging from 3-35 km/h. Commercial operations for the extended route are anticipated to start by the end of October, with the Metro expected to be ready for public use by the third week of September.
The extension project, costing Rs 298 crore, will undergo a final inspection by the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety, with trial operations continuing throughout October. This extension will benefit travellers between Tumakuru and Bengaluru and residents in nearby areas like Nelamangala, Makali, and Madanayakanahalli; moreover, traffic congestion on Tumakuru Road is expected to decrease.
The Madavara station will be positioned after Manjunath Nagar and Jindal stations, all of which are now complete. This project, which began in 2017, faced delays due to land acquisition issues but saw most of the construction completed in 2023. Technical work has since progressed, with trial runs now in progress.
Disruptions in Green line
As part of the ongoing signalling tests for the Green Line extension, there will be adjustments to train timing and operations on specific days. Train services between Peenya Industry and Nagasandra Metro Stations will be suspended on August 20, 23, and 30, as well as September 6 and 11, for the entire day.
On August 24, the last train service from Nagasandra to Peenya Industry Metro Stations will be at 10 pm, rather than the usual 11:05 pm and on August 25, the first service from Nagasandra will start at 7 am instead of 5 am. For the Peenya Industry to Silk Institute Metro Stations route, the last train service on August 24 will be at 11:12 pm and on August 25, the first train service will commence at 5 am. There will be no changes to Metro services on the Purple Line during this period, according to BMRCL officials.
