Calls grow for platform screen doors in metro stations, but rollout on existing routes faces cost and engineering setbacks

:

Following yet different fatal incidental connected the metro tracks, commuters successful Bengaluru are renewing demands for the installation of Platform Screen Doors (PSDs) crossed each Namma Metro stations, a information diagnostic they judge has present go indispensable. However, officials from the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) support that the exertion remains hard to incorporated into the existing web owed to precocious costs and analyzable engineering constraints.

The latest lawsuit occurred connected Friday, erstwhile a antheral allegedly jumped onto the tracks astatine Kengeri station, starring to a large work disruption and the nonaccomplishment of his life. This incidental has sparked ongoing concerns astir rider information and prompted caller appeals for carnal barriers on platforms.

Regular metro users said the city’s rapidly increasing ridership, which averages 10 lakh daily, makes specified information measures unavoidable. Ramprasad K., a metro idiosyncratic from Rajajinagar, said crowded platforms person go progressively hard to manage. “During unreserved hour, adjacent lasting successful enactment feels unsafe. The Bengaluru Metro indispensable marque Platform Screen Doors a modular diagnostic connected each aboriginal routes earlier opening them to the public,” helium said.

Another commuter, Nayana Rao from J.P. Nagar, stressed that level extortion serves a intent acold beyond enhancing presumption design.

“These barriers are indispensable not lone to deter termination attempts but besides to support passengers from overcrowding-related hazards. The BMRCL should rotation them retired crossed the web to debar avoidable incidents and work delays,” Ms. Rao said.

Only interchanges person metallic railings

In February 2024, the BMRCL installed metallic railings on parts of the interchange platforms to bounds way access. The corp has since been studying the effectiveness of these installations, particularly astatine high-traffic stations. So far, lone Majestic, the recently operational Yellow Line, and the R.V. Road Interchange person received akin railings.

Officials said the corp has begun integrating PSDs into its upcoming enlargement projects. Contracts person already been awarded for their installation connected the Pink Line, the Phase 2A Blue Line (Central Silk Board–K.R. Pura), and the Phase 2B airdrome extension. As per the tender specifications, 13 underground stations volition person full-height PSDs, portion 37 elevated oregon ground-level stations volition beryllium equipped with half-height level surface gates.

High costs, method hurdles artifact PSDs

However, questions linger implicit wherefore the older Purple and Green lines Phase 1 of the web were ne'er considered for PSDs. The BMRCL sources told The Hindu that the aboriginal phases of the metro were built with constricted budgets and focused chiefly connected halfway infrastructure, leaving nary country for costly information technologies similar PSDs. “Retrofitting them now, particularly successful stations arsenic ample and analyzable arsenic Majestic, would necessitate shutting down parts of the web for agelong durations, severely affecting operations,” authoritative added.

According to officials, the archetypal absorption was connected improving frequence by moving trains each 3 minutes and deploying further unit for assemblage control. The PSDs person lone precocious go a priority, particularly for Phase 2’s underground sections.

The PSDs run successful sync with bid doors and enactment arsenic a carnal obstruction to the tracks.

“Globally, the PSDs are viewed arsenic an indispensable information tool. They abstracted crowds from the tracks, assistance the signalling system, and enactment smoother bid movement. So acold successful India, lone the metros successful Delhi and Chennai person adopted them,” different authoritative explained.