BENGALURU: With a 66 KV electrical line of the Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation Limited found to be passing through the land acquired by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) for its upcoming Doddajala Metro station, work on one side has ground to a halt. The station figures in the fag end of Metro's Blue line from K R Puram to Kempegowda International Airport (KIA).
The 38.44-km Phase 2B Airport line is divided into three packages. This station figures in the third package from IAF Yelahanka to KIA. This is the second time it is facing a major bottleneck.
A Metro source told TNIE, “There was a pipeline transporting treated water to KIA which we detected earlier and it impacted our work. It has been shifted now. We found this electrical wire now on the private land we have acquired. It is supplying power to an ITC factory nearby. Such lines are not supposed to be passing through private property. We are surprised to find it and have asked the KPTCL to take urgent steps to shift it so that we can go ahead with our work.”
The station will have two entries and exits on either side of the Airport Road. This specific electric installation appears on the left side when one travels from the City towards the Airport, he added. “This plot of land is required for our Entry and Exit and ticket counters,” he said. Work was progressing normally on the other entry of the Doddajala station.
The only other station built in this package will be the Chikkajala station while two stations inside KIA is the responsibility of Bangalore International Airport Limited. "The viaduct is ready via Chikkajala. If the station needs to be built, we have put in place the provision to do so,' he said.
Near the Airport Trumpet, the line cross a railway line. “We along with K-RIDE (which implements the Suburban Rail Project) have asked permission from South Western Railway Zone to approve our design here,” he added.
On the status of work on this package, the official said, “A total of 150 span U-girders have been completed. Over 50% of civil works had been completed on the package 3 stretch.”
Package-1 runs between KR Pura and Kempapura while Package-2 runs between Kempapura and IAF Yelahanka. On the status of the ongoing work here, another official said, “Around 40% of the work in Package-1 is completed. The stations of Kasturi Nagar, Horamavu HRBR Layout, Kalyan Nagar, HBR Layout, Nagawara, Veerannapalya and Kempapura figure on this stretch. Station foundation work is nearing completion while viaduct work is progressing.”
Nearly 50% of work has been completed on Package-2 which has Hebbal, Kodigehalli, Jakkur Cross, Jakkur Plantation, Yelahanka, Bagalur Cross and Bettahalasuru. All the viaduct work here has been completed except for 2 km on the Outer Ring Road. Foundation work for the stations and the superstructure work is progressing.,” he said.
The Airport line has a deadline of June 2026.