BENGALURU: A much better commuting experience awaits Metro commuters at seven stations in the upcoming Outer Ring Road Line and the Airport Line under Phase-II. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) has begun the process of providing Multi-Modal Integration at Central Silk Board, Iblur, Marathahalli, K R Puram, Hebbal, Yelahanka and Veeranapalya stations.
The Centre for Infrastructure Sustainable Transportation and Urban Planning (CiSTUP) at the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) recently submitted a report on its plans to BMRCL for Phase 2A (Central Silk Board to K R Puram) and 2B (K R Puram to Kempegowda International Airport) stations.
BMRCL Managing Director Anjum Parwez told The New Indian Express that the Corporation proposes to develop 30 well-connected hubs across Metro stations that will offer connectivity with other modes like BMTC, KSRTC, Indian Rail, Suburban Rail, taxis and personal vehicles. “IISc submitted a report on design and plans for the first seven stations. The details can be shared only after the final approval/closure of the project,” he added.
Elaborating, Prof. Abdul Rawoof Pinjari, Chairperson of CiSTUP said, “A seamless and safe connectivity to and from Metro stations has been the overarching goal. We gave importance to the movement of pedestrians and aimed at reducing the number of conflict points between pedestrians with vehicles. Necessary infrastructure like bus bays, footpaths and skywalks have been planned. Simulation models of pedestrian flow and vehicular movements were created to evaluate and fine tune the designs.”
Pinjari said a team from IISc including Prof. Ashish Verma, a faculty member, and Robert Bosch Engineering and Business Solutions Ltd were involved in finalising the report. Director, Projects, BMRCL, D Radhakrishna Reddy, said that apart from the IISc report, Metro had also created its own accessibility plans. “Hebbal and Nagawara are two such crucial stations for which we have a plan. At Hebbal, we are looking at two Road Over Bridges, one connecting the Metro with the railway station and another connecting our station with the other side of the railway track (towards the RT Nagar side).”