BENGALURU: A day after the launch of Namma Metro’s Yellow Line, Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya hit out at the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) over the delay and escalating costs of the Pink Line.
Speaking to TNIE onboard a train on the Yellow Line on Monday, Surya said the elevated stretch from Kalena Agrahara to Tavarekere, earlier set for opening in September 2025, will now be ready only by March 2026. The underground section from Dairy Circle to Nagavara, originally targeted for opening on June 2026, is now slated for September 2026. Surya expressed frustration over BMRCL’s repeated delays and ballooning costs, citing examples from previous phases.
Phase 1’s budget rose from Rs 6,300 crore in 2005 to Rs 14,000 crore, and Phase 2’s from Rs 26,000 crore in 2014 to Rs 40,000 crore in 2024, he said, calling it an undue burden on taxpayers despite high demand for Metro connectivity.
The Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) on Sunday confirmed the new timelines and revealed that the proposed Phase 3A corridor (Red line) — 36.58 km from Sarjapur to Hebbal, costing Rs 28,405 crore — has had its Detailed Project Report (DPR) returned to the state for cost review under benchmarking guidelines. The ministry urged the state to expedite the process and prepare a long-term Metro master plan for Bengaluru.
Surya also flagged the need to increase Metro train frequency, especially on the Yellow Line, with more train sets expected by year-end. He said, “I spoke to the MD of Titagarh Rail Systems (the company which is manufacturing and supplying train sets) and he says that from October two trains will be available per month and by the end of August, the fourth train will also be added.”