BENGALURU: Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Friday gave a fresh lease of life for metro train connectivity between Sarjapur and Hebbal by announcing a new 37-km line at a cost of Rs 15,000 crore.
The CM also offered minor relief to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited by offering a minor extension of three months to the Outer Ring Road-Airport Line (Phase 2A & 2B Lines) by announcing March 2025 as the new deadline.
The Sarjapur line was initially meant to be a part of Metro Phase-3 with an announcement to this effect made in the 2018-2019 budget. However, last year the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Phase-3 line was finalised and only two corridors were announced in it causing much resentment among many who worked or lived along this stretch.
In his speech on Friday, the CM said, "Action will be taken to prepare Detailed Project Report in the year 2022-2023 for construction of a new 37 km long new Metro line connecting Sarjapura to Hebbal through Agara, Koramangala and Diary Circle at an estimated cost of Rs 15,000 crore."
The DPR for Phase-3 will be submitted to the Central government for its approval, the CM said. This 45-km project to cost Rs 11,250 crore will cover 32 kms on Outer Ring Road from Hebbal to JP Nagar and 13 km between Hosahalli and Kadabagere.
March 2025 deadline for Airport line
The budget speech also fixed March 2025 as the deadline for completion of the 58.19 km line from the Central Silk Board to the Airport Line (Phase 2A and Phase 2B).
The previous deadline fixed by the CM for completion of all Phase-II projects of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) was a tight one - December 2024, a one-year reduction in the earlier deadline of 2025.
The CM also announced connectivity between Bengaluru Metro and railway stations at a cost of Rs 55 crore. The connectivity would come up at Whitefield, K R Puram, Baiyappanahalli, yesvantpur, and Yelahanka.
The CM reiterated that 33 km of metro lines will be added in the ongoing financial year.