3 months ago
1
The projected 37-km Red Line of the Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), which aims to nexus Sarjapur successful the city’s south-east to Hebbal successful the north, is yet to person clearance from the Union Cabinet, with method objections reportedly holding up the process. The concerns mostly centre connected the State government’s determination to follow a full-length double-decker plan for the corridor.
The ₹28,405-crore Hebbal-Sarjapur enactment was cleared by the Karnataka Cabinet successful December 2024 but requires last support from the Centre. P.C. Mohan, MP representing Bengaluru Central, has said that the State’s across-the-board argumentation mandating double-decker structures for aboriginal elevated Metro lines has delayed the project’s advancement astatine the nationalist level.
According to him, the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) has flagged reservations astir constructing an integrated rail-and-road flyover strategy on the full stretch. “While a double-decker configuration whitethorn beryllium suitable astatine prime postulation intersections, extending it crossed the afloat corridor could pb to the instauration of parallel roadworthy infrastructure. This whitethorn inadvertently beforehand backstage conveyance usage, diminish Metro patronage, and dilute the broader objectives of wide accelerated transit systems, including reduced congestion and little vehicular emissions,” helium said.
Official sources said that MoHUA is examining the connection successful airy of nationalist benchmarks relating to commuter safety, operational practicality and semipermanent societal returns earlier granting approval. The Centre is expected to instrumentality a last presumption lone aft the plan is revisited and its feasibility substantiated.
Optimise municipality infrastructure
In 2024, the Karnataka authorities introduced a argumentation requiring each caller elevated Metro corridors to incorporated double-decker structures to marque amended usage of constrained roadworthy abstraction successful Bengaluru. Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar has consistently advocated this approach, arguing that it would optimise municipality infrastructure successful a rapidly expanding metropolis.
The Red Line is planned to walk done cardinal localities specified arsenic Agara, Koramangala, Dairy Circle, Bellandur, St. John’s Hospital, NIMHANS, Central College, Cunningham Road and Mehkri Circle. Of the full alignment, astir 16.8 km from Koramangala to Hebbal is projected to tally underground. The elevated conception betwixt Sarjapur and Koramangala 3rd Block volition see 15 stations, portion the underground agelong from Koramangala 2nd Block to Veterinary College volition person 11 stations.
Land acquisition constitutes a large stock of the wide cost. BMRCL estimates that astir ₹8,080 crore volition beryllium required to get 161.65 acres of land, including 55.69 acres of backstage spot adjacent Sarjapur Circle earmarked for a depot.
Tentative deadline
Although the tentative completion deadline has been acceptable for December 2030, officials suggest the timeline could widen to 2031 depending connected erstwhile Central support is secured.
