Bengaluru: The trials between Sampige Road and Yelachenahalli on Kanakapura Road, which remains the last unopened stretch on the 42.3-km Phase I Namma Metro network, were flagged off by K.J. George, Bengaluru Development Minister on Friday.

While George reiterated Chief Minister Siddaramaiah’s assurance that metro will be opened by April 15, Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) effectively ruled out the possibility. The BMRCL states that Low Speed Dynamic Tests will be conducted by April 14, multiple train tests and anti-collision tests by April 20 before going to the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety (CMRS) in the last week of April.

BMRCL Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola sought to allay fears about completion of Chikpete station. According to BMRCL’s March newsletter, around 8 per cent of the work on the roof remains. “We will complete this within 10 days,” he said.

With the full metro network expected to carry more than 5 lakh people, the BMRCL officials said the process of increasing the length of the trains from three coaches to six will take a year. “At that point, we can consider reserving one coach for women,” said George.