At least 35 per cent of the work is remaining for Phase I of the Metro; experts say it will not be complete before March next year

The city's Metro Rail project seems destined to miss its December-end deadline with at least 35 per cent of the work remaining in the first phase. Experts say the deadline is unrealistic and that the first phase will not be operational before March next year.


40% The approximate amount of track laying work that is still incomplete

As per the schedule, Reach-1 of the first phase of the rapid transit was supposed to be completed by the end of next month. What considerably dims the chances of that happening, however, is the fact that only 60 per cent of the civil work for Reach-I is complete ,while other technical work, including installing electricity connections and the signal system, is yet to even begin.

"I think the target of December-end was impractical to begin with. Officials had not taken the delay due to legal disputes into consideration," said M N Srihari, infrastructure advisor to the government. "Considering the current pace of the work, we can safely say that it will take at least another five months."

Reach-I is a 7-km stretch linking the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) on MG Road to Byappana Halli. While land acquisition took up a considerable amount of time because of litigation, the KSCA too had sought and received a stay against the construction work from the High Court. The stay was vacated last week.

Pending
Six stations are supposed to come up on the stretch and they are all under varying degrees of construction. Plastering, roofing, flooring and electric wiring work is pending in most of them.

No ticket counters
Ticket counters can be setup only after the construction work is complete. That itself will take at least another three months, say experts. Track laying work is also only 60 per cent complete, thereby delaying the setting-up of the signal system, which can be done only after the track is laid.

"We have to conduct track testing after the track is laid and all the stations have been constructed," said a Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) official. "I can't say when we will be able to take up this exercise."

Track testing will be done in two stages after electrical connections are in place: Three coaches with the engine will be subjected to tests on the depot track at Byappana Halli for 15 days before being taken to the main track for another 15-day test. If the results of the month-long exercise are satisfactory, the commissioner of railways will give the clearance.

However, depot work at Byappana Halli is not even 60 per cent complete and experts say it would be difficult for the BMRCL to even meet the revised deadline of March, 2011, that it is expected to announce soon.