BENGALURU: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has recently submitted a revised proposal of Phase-3, to the centre for approval. In the revised proposal, the cost has been reduced significantly, as only three-coach trains would be deployed for one of its corridors, instead of the regular six-coach trains.
Phase three of Metro has been proposed for a length of 44.65 km and has two elevated corridors, one from JP Nagar 4th Phase to Kempapura along the Outer Ring Road (12.5 km) and the another from Hosahalli to Kadabgere along Magadi Road (32.15 km). It will have a total of 31 stations.
Anjum Parwez, the Managing Director of BMRCL spoke to TNIE, “We have re-submitted our detailed project report to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs, for approval. The revised overall cost of phase 3 comes up to around Rs 15,600 crore, and with the Magadi Road Corridor being a new route, the Centre wants us to use only trains with three coaches initially, while our initial DPR had proposed six-car coaches. So, we had to revise it and submit it again.”
The MD added, “Based on the patronage, we can augment the trains to six-car ones, later, if required.”
Backgrounder
It has been nearly a year (Nov 18, 2022) since the state government approved the project for a cost of Rs 16,328 crore and submitted it in February 2023, to the centre. With the centre seeking clarifications, and repeated to and fro of files between the State and Centre, the approval has not yet come through. Phase-3 has a completion deadline of 2028.