Parts of Bangalore Metro to shut down on weekends

BENGALURU: Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) plans to have weekend shutdowns on stretches of the 42.3-km Metro network spread across 40 stations in the city to carry out maintenance works of rail tracks and other systems.Director of Operations and Maintenance and Rolling Stock, Signalling and Electrical, R M Dhoke told The New Indian Express that these periodic shutdowns need to be taken up in the interest of the overall safety of the public. 

“Like the shutdown effected this weekend between RV Road and Yelachenahalli, we are planning to stop services across different stretches in the future. We are holding regular review meetings to work out a schedule for this,” he said.Such maintenance shutdowns are absolutely vital to maintain the running of Metro operations smoothly, he added. “It is done across the world. In Mumbai, it is a regular feature and the term mega block is used to announce the shutdown,” Dhoke said. 

This does not mean the tracks are damaged, he stressed. The time between 12 midnight and 5am - when trains do not run - is not enough to complete all maintenance works. Maintenance in some sections require a longer duration, he added. Asked about how many times a shutdown would be effected on a single stretch, Dhoke said, “It could be once every three months or even six months. It depends on the wear and tear.”Services resumed on the Green Line stretch between RV Road and Yelachenahalli by 7pm on Sunday. “Maintenance staff worked overtime to complete the track maintenance work,” he said.