BENGALURU: A milestone in Bengaluru Metro’s KR Puram to KIA Line was achieved on Friday night when the maiden pile cap was completed for the Bagalur Cross Metro station. The cap is laid over six piles, which are concrete foundation members that run 25 m below the ground.
Around 200 pile caps will be put in 17 stations of this 37-km Phase-2B line. Most of the station is elevated except a 900-m stretch in the last station at KIA. A top Metro official said, “This station figures in package 2 of the Airport Line that extends from Hebbal to Bagalur Cross. The pile cap for the viaduct (on which rails are laid) has been laid in all three packages. But it is a first that the cap for a station has been readied. Piling is a crucial part of the construction while the real challenge lies when the construction shifts underground.”
“Each pile beneath the cap is separated by 3m,” he added. The number of pile caps required ranges between 7 and 14, and takes around 20 to 25 days to ready a pile cap. This line has five elevated stations at Hebbal, Kodigehalli, Jakkur Cross, Yelahanka and Bagalur Cross.
Explaining the challenges during piling at Bagalur Cross, the official said the ground profile proved tough. “The land below had extreme variations and would be high at one spot and low at another. Bringing them to the same level was tough,” he added.