Bangalore Metro to resume services from tomorrow; only Purple Line to be operational till 9 September

Bengaluru: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd will resume its services from Monday in a phased manner, after remaining suspended for almost 6 months in view of national lockdown imposed due to coronavirus pandemic. The first run will start on the Purple Line from Monday while the trains on Green Line will operate from 9 September. In the Purple Line, the trains will run for six hours till 10 September only during the peak hours — three hours in the morning from 8 am to 11 am and 4.30 pm to 7.30 pm. In the Green Line, the trains will operate for two days only during peak hours — three hours in the morning and three in the evening. From 11 September onwards, the trains will ply on both the lines from 7 am to 9 pm. “The number of commuters allowed in each train is limited to 400 passengers to ensure social distancing norms,” a BMRCL official said. According to BMRCL, the dwell time in each station will be 60 seconds so that passengers shall maintain social distancing while boarding and deboarding. At the Kempe Gowda interchange station, the dwell time will be 75 seconds. Gates will not be opened in stations coming under the containment zones, it said. The Metro Rail has also made it clear that all passengers will have to use smart cards as token tickets will not be sold. No card recharge will be done at the stations. Instead, the passengers will have to top up their cards using the BMRCL’s mobile application. In place of card readers at the entry and exit points, there will be flash readers. Metro Rail authorities noted that the BMRCL incurred huge losses to the tune of crores of rupees during the lockdown.