Bangalore Metro Ph-1 completion pushed to Q1, 2016

German bank, KFW, keen to finance up to Rs 4,500 crore for Phase-2

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), the agency implementing the metro rail project in Bangalore, is likely to miss yet another deadline for the completion of first phase of the project. The 42.3-km stretch of Phase-1 will now be completed only by the first quarter of 2016, instead of September 2015.

The corporation, which has pushed deadlines for completion for close to two years, had set a deadline of September 2015 for the Phase-I. However, due to problems in the underground section, the corporation has pushed the deadline once again to the first quarter of 2016. The cost of the project, estimated at Rs 11,609 crore has also been revised to Rs 13,800 crore.

“The tunnel boring machine (TBM) on the north-south corridor recently broke down and the works will now be completed on this line in the first quarter of 2016. The east-west corridor will be completed by March 2015,” B G Mallya, chief engineer-traction, BMRCL, said.

Making a presentation on the Bangalore Metro rail project at a workshop organised by the Embassy of Sweden on “The Way to Sustainable Transport: An Indo-Swedish Perspective”, here on Monday, he said the Phase-I of Bangalore Metro rail project will be completed by the first quarter of 2016. However, the preliminary work for the second phase has already commenced, he said.

The work on phase-I of Bangalore Metro rail project started in April 2007. Till now, commercial operations on Reach-1 between Baiyappanahalli to M G Road (6.7 kms) and Reach 3A between Sampige Road to Peenya Industry (10.1 kms) have commenced.

BMRCL is set to conduct trial runs of Namma Metro on Reach 3B between Peenya Industry and Nagasandra on Tumkur road in October. The track-laying work on the 2.5 km stretch has been completed.

Overall, the corporation has completed 86 per cent of the works of Phase-1 involving a cost of Rs 11,870 crore, Mallya said adding that once the Phase-1 is fully commissioned for commercial operations, the ridership would go up to 1 million per day from the present 25,000 passengers per day.

Meanwhile, the BMRCL has commenced preliminary works on the Phase-2, which will have a network of 72 kms. A German bank (KFW) is keen on financing up to Rs 4,500 crore for the second phase, Mallya said. KFW officially held discussions in this regard with officials of BMRCL last month.

“There will be lot of new features in the second phase. There will be two new lines between R V Road station and Bommasandra, and from Gottigere (IIMB) to Nagawara. The existing lines of Phase-1 will also be extended up to Whitefield from Baiyappanahalli and Kengeri from Mysore Road terminal. On the North-South corridor, the extension will be carried out from Puttenahalli to Anajanapura and from Nagasandra to Bangalore International Exhibition Centre,” he said.

The extensions will have a network of 32 kms and new lines will be for 40 kms, he said.

Meanwhile, the BMRCL is also working on the third phase of Bangalore Metro which will essentially connect both Phase-1 and Phase-2 apart from connecting new areas in the city such as Magadi Road, Outer Ring Road. It will also have an extension up to Bangalore international airport, he added.

“The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation is not limiting itself to completing two phases of Metro rail. We have to think always at least for the next twenty years,” Mallya said.