BENGALURU: The only underground section in Phase-II figures in the 21.25-km Gottigere-Nagawara line, which is one of the two new lines proposed. This 13.9-km section goes below the ground from Dairy Circle in the South to Nagawara in the North and comprises 12 stations: Dairy Circle, Mico Industries, Langford Town, Vellara, M G Road, Shivaji Nagar, Bamboo Bazaar (following recent change in alignment from Cantonment Railway Station), Pottery Town, Tannery Road, Venkateshpura, Arabic College and Nagawara.
Land acquisition activities have already begun for the underground route. The tendering process has commenced with the underground contract divided into four packages to facilitate quick completion. Work is expected to commence in December 2017.
Sharing the execution plan for the underground stretch, BMRCL Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola said, “It will be a huge challenge to overcome tough geological conditions here like the sub-surface rocky soil strata. To achieve early completion, we plan to operate 12 tunnel boring machines along this stretch.”
The section passes through highly congested areas, including the Cantonment area, Shivaji Nagar, Pottery Town, Tannery Road and MICO.
“To avoid inconvenience, most of the stations are designed to be off road structures using cut and cover technique,” Kharola said. The technique involves digging a large trench in the ground, which is later closed using a concrete deck. While construction works can go on below, regular activity can resume on the ground level.