[Pics] Progress of Bangalore Metro’s Sampige Road – Majestic Section

Here’s a post with some new images of Bangalore Metro’s 1.5 km Sampige Road – Majestic section of the Green Line! I’ve already shared these images on Twitter, but am doing so here for the benefit of those not on it.

This little section is extremely vital to the city as the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation currently runs fragmented operations on the Purple & Green lines, and with its opening, it’ll make life a lot simpler for commuters who currently have to take a shuttle bus between the two stations. Needless to say, its opening will also have a sweet multiplier effect on ridership numbers that’ll increase revenue collection. Tunneling works for the 2 tunnels of this section were completed using TBM Margarita (CEC-SOMA-CICI team) and TBM Godavari (Coastal-TTS team). See more details on them here:

• Nov 07 2015: Bangalore Metro’s TBM Margarita Makes a Breakthrough at the North Ramp
• April 19 2016: TBM Godavari Makes a Breakthrough at Bangalore’s Majestic Station

BangaloreMetroMap

Alignment of Sampige Road – Majestic section – View Bangalore Metro Info & Map

Images from north to south:

Blr1

North Ramp – Photo Copyright: withheld on request

Blr2

Inside the down-line tunnel bored by TBM Margarita – Photo Copyright: Aranya LM Shana

Blr3

Majestic’s North Shaft where TBM Godavari made a breakthrough – Photo Copyright: Subhash Lakshminarayan

As you would have noted by now, track-laying & other system installation work is yet to start and that is fine as civil engineering projects of this nature & scope with multiple contractors take time to be developed & molded into a usable facility for the masses. Track plinth work was reported to have started in the June newsletter and once that is wrapped up along with the cross-passage work, then track-laying work will start.

But if you were to go by the BMRCL’s CPRO, then track-laying work commenced in May along with “cabling and telecom” work in June. Back in April, the CPRO was peddling asinine dreams of this section starting operations in “June-July” (see: tweet 1, tweet 2, tweet 3) almost as if they’re playing with Lego. The lack of sincerity and frankness to admit actual progress, plans & time-frames is sickening and that explains why the BMRCL has such a poor reputation among all metro organizations.

Contractors on the Purple Line’s underground section took an abnormally long time of 16 months from the last breakthrough to finish track-laying work. I don’t expect it’ll take the same amount of time here, especially when the BMRCL has come up with reassuring alternate plans to sprinkle pixie dust and make the entire Phase 1 running by the November 1 deadline.

The contractor’s engineers are not aware of any other or new plans. And an inquiry about the alternate plans has gone unanswered.

For more updates, check out the Bangalore section of The Metro Rail Guy!

– TMRG

written by

Global traveler who prefers mass rapid transit

65 Responses to "[Pics] Progress of Bangalore Metro’s Sampige Road – Majestic Section"

  1. S. Sathyesh says:

    My guess is Mar- April 2017

    Reply
  2. Kiran says:

    Slackness and missed promises have become part and parcel of Bangalore Metro project.

    I kindly request MODIji, to bring in some speed in this project. With MODI’s direct intervention, some HURDLES faced by BMRCL can be cleared faster, such that these projects could be completed earlier.

    Reply
  3. Shashidhar says:

    as usual BMRC cannot complete a small piece of track work as per schedule

    Reply
  4. Mukund says:

    BMRCL should be handed over to delhi metro . Can’t believe that they want to demolish Jayadeva flyover because they have been pressurised by shopkeepers on either side. No where in the world flyover have been demolished for metro work. Sad affairs of BMRCL.

    Reply
    • Nachiket says:

      BMRCL started tunnelling work after a report submitted by Delhi Metro and had to face a lots of difficulties due to the faulty report and you want the work to be handed over to Delhi metro.

      Reply
  5. Ashok says:

    “with reassuring alternate plans to sprinkle pixie dust and make the entire Phase 1 running by the November 1 deadline.”….

    That’s an awesome line !! But some people will get fooled to think that sprinkling pixie dust is some new construction technique :-). It may even appear in the BMRCL newsletter!!

    Reply
    • Ajay says:

      Actually, the track is laid down on this track. I got the latest picture from tweter..

      Reply
      • TMRG says:

        Yup. Yesterday they placed the 1st turnout at the mouth of the southbound tunnel. Here’s the link to the tweet with images.

        Reply
      • Raghavan Rajagopalaiyer says:

        Thanks Ajay for the update and correct info. Looks like this metrorailguy is only misguiding because of over confidence.

        Reply
        • TMRG says:

          If I was intentionally misguiding people, then why I would tweet the images for others to see or reply back to Ajay here with a link?

          All reporting here is objective and based on multiple sources. Previous questions by me about the track-laying work’s progress and location of work have gone unanswered or met with extremely silly non-descriptive responses – see tweet 1 and tweet 2. Besides the above images, last month’s newsletter also mentions that plinth work was in progress – as opposed to track laying work claimed by the CPRO.

          It’s just a big coincidence that the 1st turnout was placed on the day of my post and I’m not even mad, I think it’s great!

          Reply
          • Sham says:

            TMRG – a request. Can we stop having derogatory phrases in reports? Remarks like peddling asinine dreams, playing with Lego, sickening, shameless, sprinkle pixie dust etc do not sound good on formal update reports IMO.

            Agreed there seem to have been misrepresentations, but I don’t think there is lack of sincerity. The Nov 1 deadline was actually set by the UDM /CM & BMRC is forced to follow those diktats from higher ups. CPRO, being active on twitter, is in the same boat. So, no point picking on him personally.

          • TMRG says:

            Hi, nothing personal against the CPRO; I don’t even know him. Otherwise I would be referring to him by his name. It’s one thing to announce a deadline, and another thing to repeatedly hammer it down, mislead people and tell me to stop tweeting?! That’s just messed up. This “forced” argument is something that Nazis used in the post-war trials. He has many options to exercise, but I believe he finds it OK to do what he does as part of his perception management philosophy.

            Please understand that this is a blog and not a media outlet like TOI or Tunnel Talk. I voice my thoughts without mincing words on each organization and each announcement/comment made by them – from the Delhi govt to the BMRCL to DMRC to KMRL to West Bengal govt etc.

          • Sham says:

            Further, every metro project has been delayed even when they didn’t have huge goofups like BMRC did with DMRC’s DPRs, not to mention the many tunnelling challenges.

            I enjoy all your updates and agree with all your assessments re. timelines but can’t see why CPRO /BMRC needs to be targeted all the time. If at all, it should be the CM /UDM.

  6. Murali says:

    By now track laying work should have been completed. Not just commencing the work. BRMCL has dug up near Silk Board and left as it is. They are doing a mess. All works are getting delayed. No proper response to my tweets. They are not ready to absorb criticism and work well. They just blame on technical difficulties. This is not the right way. Phase 1 R&D they are extending to phase 2 as well. Proper justification is needed from BMRCL. We are not sleepy like State Govt. to listen to their cooked up stories. By the time I use metro to travel to office my hairs will be white.

    Reply
  7. km says:

    This is the most reliable source of information. Why blame the messenger? Instead be thankful!

    Reply
  8. km says:

    This was in response to the guy who was blaming TMRG

    Reply
  9. Kiran says:

    Well said Murali,

    Definitely in the current pace of work, we may not be there on this planet when silk board line comes.

    On a lighter note the first round of BMRCL officials would retire by that time with their sons settled in US and daughters married off with tax payers money. At least I am happy that some people are happy with our money/tax payers money, LOL.

    This is my personal opinion…

    Reply
  10. Sham says:

    Wonder why Kiran, Murali & others who think they wont get to use the metro keep ranting here.
    Since they are not expecting metro in their lifetime, they can all stay out & boycott all metro related threads since they have no hope anyway. Spare others from repeated rants!

    Reply
  11. Kiran says:

    Sir,

    I am not picking on individuals, let me be very clear.

    It is the system. Modiji has clearly shown how to work, we expect all of indians to follow the leader.

    If BMRCL has forgotten facts let me clarify, Jayanagar metro piers has been layed out for around three years. Why there is no service till now. At least BMRCL could have targeted to start kanakapura metro to market strech.

    Sir, let me be frank this is not my opinion this is bangalore’s opinion please ask any guy in bangalore about white elephant metro project, they will let u know,

    Ayyo avaru start maddange ….

    Sir, At least blog is a free media, let people vent out at least in blogs, as media is so silent on this topic.

    Reply
    • Sham says:

      Kiran, agree it has been frustrating for south Bangaloreans but if you say BMRC has forgotten facts, you must be joking. You are right about the south line being ready from 3 years, but I’m sure you are also aware that tunnelling challenges have delayed start on that line as there isn’t a depot on south side. BMRC tried to place coaches on that line with cranes for testing & commencement of services but had to cancel it as getting certification is dependent on depot /maintenance facilities for metro trains.

      Even if Modiji has shown how to work better, it doesn’t mean taking risks or short cuts from laid down procedures. Media is silent because they probably understand things better. Those BangaIoreans that know these facts & realities don’t rant, others do out of frustration. Some patience is called for. When compared to almost all other major metros under construction (like Mumbai /Navi Mumbai, Kolkata, Chennai, Hyderabad), BMRC has actually done well after huge delays due to goofed up DPRs by DMRC & the many challenges and delays with tunnelling that they faced.

      Reply
  12. Shashidhar says:

    Compare this to Bejing and Shangai which has 588 and 554 of metro. These 2 cities are cities with highest metro in kms and also highest ridership . even other cities which have city rail like mumbai,chennai are progressing much faster than bangalore

    I cannot why on earth does it take 10 years to even decide route for airport , China would have even connected a metro to mysore airport by now and we in bangalore are not able to connect to metro in bangalore .

    Reply
  13. Kiran says:

    Sir,

    I know your situation to defend this project.

    I will stop commenting on this thread. But the land of engineers, which produced Sir M Vis… has failed.

    I am not saying this, a fair POLL of Bangalore citizens would get you the view of the citizens/natives of Bangalore. Even media is not covering the woes of Bangalore’s distress. During rainy day, i know people who have walked all the way from Shantinagar to Majestic to catch a BUS. The buses had come to a stand still in Majestic for 4 hours.

    I am posting this in a hope that, this project MAY get MODIJIs attention.

    But our country is so mis-managed that even the prime minister has to urge to build toilets.

    Reply
  14. Sham says:

    I beg to differ:
    Mumbai began construction in 2008 & opened its 11 km line after SIX years in 2014. Since then, there was no progress on other planned lines. Construction has just commenced on additional routes only now.
    Chennai began construction in 2009 & opened its 10 km first section after SIX years in 2015. No other line has been added so far.
    Hyderabad began construction in 2012 & NO line has been opened so far. Completion has also been delayed to 2017-end, which is also doubtful though the entire ph-1 is elevated.

    In comparison, Bangalore began construction in 2007 and opened its first 7 km line after only FOUR years in 2011. Since then, it has expanded to over 30 km with full completion of ph-1 slated in 2017 despite reworking on DPRs & tunnelling delays. Construction on two ph-2 extensions has also commenced.

    Beijing began construction in 1965, Shanghai in 1986. Anyway, Chinese metro construction is fastest in the world since they do not have restrictions like no night work disturbance, low noise, rock blasting sound limits etc. So, they cannot be compared with construction in India. Compare only like for like.

    Reply
    • Shashidhar says:

      In Delhi metro, construction started in 1998, the The first elevated line of the Delhi Metro was inaugurated in December 2002 & the first underground line was inaugurated byin December 2004 . compare this to bangalore

      Phase one of delhi metro was completed within 8 years in 2006, that too phase 1 was 65 km, compare this to bangalore even after 10 years still does not have 30 kms metro running .

      The first phase of the project was completed in 2006, on budget and almost three years ahead of schedule, an achievement described by Business Week as “nothing short of a miracle”

      Delhi has airport metro running, hyderbad, chennai have plans for airport metro , bangalore does not even have a route finalized

      Reply
  15. Nihar says:

    Thanks for the amazing updates, just wanted to let you know, I think the July newsletter for Bangalore metro is out:)

    Reply
  16. Sham says:

    Bangalore already has over 30km in 5 years if you discount delays beyond BMRC’s control.

    Delhi, being national capital, enjoys high priority for metro. They had Hongkong metro as prime consultants. BMRC had DMRC who goofed up DPRs that resulted in loss of over two years. Added to that, tunnelling delays due to hard rock and weak buildings above resulted in loss of another two years.
    Considering these, 43km in 6 years is better than even Delhi.

    Airport metro is not a priority for Bangalore as it has very good bus services. BMRC has plans and it is up to GOK to decide route. So, how is BMRC responsible?

    Chennai airport is very close to city, hence included in their ph-1. Hyderabad has plans on paper but not even a DPR, let alone commencement of construction.

    Reply
    • Shashidhar says:

      Who said Airport Metro is not a priority, even Hyderabad has planned airport metro in phase 2. check the wiki link , Dude almost all major cities in Asia have airport link have airport are they mad to plan airport if its not important , that too In bangalore Airport is 35+ kms away from city center .

      Bangalore has 30kms in 10.5 years not 5 years . Metro construction started in Feb 2006 .

      stop defending lazy karnataka govt and BMRCL both are responsible for this Airport Link Mess, why does it take 10 years to decide , Bangalore Metro except for Peenya and Majestic where most people travel, is not linking important areas like Airport, WhiteField, Electronics City which have maximum people using cars

      Reply
      • Sham says:

        Sir, construction of Reach-1 commenced on 15 April 2007 (Not Feb-2006). Wikipedia may have information about planned Hyderabad (and also Bangalore) airport metro links but Hyderabad is yet to prepare DPR, identify and notify land etc for their phase-2 whilst Bangalore has DPRs ready for ph-2 and for two routes to airport.

        GoK had already notified land along Ballari road long back when hi-speed rail was thought of, but decided against it after its failure in Delhi. Whilst I agree a route to airport is required for the long term, it isn’t a priority like routes within city. BTW Bangalore airport with 18 million passengers per year is not a major airport in Asia and metro will not be viable unless the intermediate areas develop and there is sufficient traffic.

        White-field and Electronics City have good road connectivity and road traffic on ORR-east has increased only in the last 3-4 years. Ph-2 routes anyway cover all these areas. Maximum people using cars is because of good roads + they also have many good AC buses also. Central Bangalore needed metro first and ridership is proof of that.

        I have been following BMRC from the very beginning and not letting frustrations take over me. GoK may be lazy in other matters, but I wouldn’t say that it has effected metro work. Delays were due to reasons I mentioned earlier.

        Reply
        • Shashidhar says:

          even if its April 2007 it still took almost 10 years to complete phase 1 of metro assuming Phase 1 is ready by december

          whats the use of DPR if its not included in phase 2 and i doubt if it will be included in phase 3

          http://www.deccanherald.com/content/557410/airport-metro-route-unclear-bmrcl.html

          read this Article u will understand

          From the article The government seems less interested in expediting the project. “It’s all talk in the air, no concrete action is in place,”

          Dude Bangalore Airport is 3 most busiest airport in India , Chennai airport route is planned , other cities has city Rail. bangalore does not even that.

          U mean to to say MG Road ,Majestic, Jayanagar, Peenya did not road connectivity hence BMRC included this routes

          BMRC is failure since it did not include whitefield , electronic city and Airport in phase 1 , most experts agree to this not sure of ur expertise hence BMRC have included these phase 2 and now they are including ORR route in separate phase 2

          Reply
          • Sham says:

            Ph-1 will take 10 years, no doubt but as I said, more than 4 years were lost due to faulty DPRs by DMRC that had to be redone and tunnelling challenges with hard rocky terrain.

            And as I said, airport is not a priority for GoK when non-stop AC buses are serving the purpose well for now. I know GoK will take decision only when there is substantial traffic, till then its not viable. 3rd busiest airport does not make metro viable. Do you know about Delhi’s airport line failure with Reliance walking out though it is the largest airport? Also, Hong Kong, Kuala Lumpur and various others? Please read about them and their financials first.

            EC has elevated road and ORR-east is signal free and close to Whitefield. MG road, Majestic, Jayanagar, Peenya do not have any such roads where traffic can move fast.

            Metro on ORR-east was planned for ph-3 but due to increase in traffic over the last two years, it is now planned earlier. Can you name experts that you say agree with you?

            Sorry but you sound frustrated. Some patience is required and you must understand that everyone’s wishes cannot be addressed all at the same time.

  17. Murali says:

    We are criticising BMRCL to work better and not mean, they are not at all working. They should plan in a better way. Prioritize the critical IT hubs. Its the Bangalore most of the domestic immigrants can be found. So govt. should understand and take pace accordingly. Survey, Tender, Analysis itself taking a huge amount time than the actual work. Demolition of Jayadeva Fly over is not at all a good plan. Why delay starting phase 2 work in Nagasandra to BIEC even though conditions are favorable? Why it is taking so much time to cut down trees. BMRCL isnt communicate with the public or authority well? These items BMRCL had control. These are questionable. Need justification.

    Reply
    • Sham says:

      Sir, IT hubs have better roads than elsewhere and presence of domestic immigrants does not mean that metro has to be prioritized there. In any case, these areas are also getting covered in ph-2. On the one hand you say, IT areas have to be prioritized and on the other, you are complaining about delay in starting ph-2 work in Nagasandra-BIEC. Fyi, tender for road widening this section was out on 24-Jun-2016 after BDA’s PRR alignment was firmed up near BIEC.

      When there is so much opposition for land acquisition, how can road capacity be increased and also metro added without building multiple tiers along Marenahalli road? Demolishing Jayadeva flyover and building full length metro-cum-road viaduct is the only option and a long-term solution as land acquisition will result in huge delays with uncertain outcomes after court battles.

      Re. trees, tree committee has been delaying and refusing to even meet. Anyway, it hasn’t stopped BMRC from commencing phase-2 works wherever possible. Recently, tree committee met and inspected re-planting by BMRC and seem satisfied. So, permissions may be forthcoming.

      BMRC is communicative through detailed newsletters and with CPRO on twitter, but their deadline announcements are out of sync with reality. Actually this is a concern raised by TMRG as well. Unfortunately, CM /UDM have been making unrealistic deadlines and BMRC is forced to go along even though they know it may not be possible.

      Reply
      • Shashidhar says:

        http://www.deccanherald.com/content/557410/airport-metro-route-unclear-bmrcl.html

        even in my above comment i mentioned this link , read the article properly , even the newly constituted Bangalore Vision Group has also suggested that airport link be finalized are they also frustrated as per ur logic .

        Singapore, Bankgok, kuala lumpur all of them have much better roads and still have airport metro . u only quote some failed airport projects

        Delhi Airport being very will run by DMRC now with higher number of commuters

        Bangalore Vision Group are the experts who suggested faster inclusion of Airport Route in Metro

        by ur same logic ITPL has same better connectivity as Airport with AC buses why are they building metro there
        8 years after airport was built still we don’t even have a plan or route finalized . actual metro will take another 8-10 years once the project is announced as per BMRC slow progress

        Reply
        • Sham says:

          The so called Bangalore vision group consists of top industrialists who travel by cars. Sorry, but it’s not an expert transport nor city planning body but an ad-hoc body that is under severe criticism by citizen groups for promoting grandiose projects without any vision, like the steel elevated road that has been forcibly shelved now. Their recommendation for an airport line is fine but the key question is viability about which they know zilch.

          Delhi airport handles over 55 million passengers per year which is three times more than Bangalore’s 18 million. Yet Delhi airport line has less than 30,000 commuters per day on the airport train even after huge fare reduction. And it is of course running under heavy losses.

          Bangkok and Kuala Lumpur airport trains are both under heavy losses as well. Bangkok’s express line handles a mere 400 passengers a day though the airport handles over 50 million (services have been suspended on & off, claiming no rolling stock!). Kuala Lumpur handles nearly 49 million but its train has ridership of only 14,000.

          Singapore is doing fine as airport is close by & they are running ordinary metro services which is what will work since it requires substantial ridership all through the day.

          For Bangalore, metro is being planned (not hi-speed rail) and will be built to cover the entire stretch when it develops some 15-20 years later. Till then, AC buses are best and cover different parts of the city well enough. BTW are you employed at the airport?

          Reply
          • Shashidhar says:

            so u r expert , why don’t ask govt to consult you instead of consulting vision group. stop making jokes

            Bangkok
            As of September 2014, all express services were suspended until further notice due to a shortage of rolling stock.

            and its not due to losses as u mentioned

            Delhi Airport Metro is 22 KM, where as Bangalore Airport Metro is at 36KM distance , u don’t seem to from bangalore the way u are asking why is airport metro req’d ,

            u are only guy who is saying airport metro is not req’d ,
            Bangalore Airport has 18 Million passengers in 10 years when metro is completed it would definitely has gone much more .

      • Murali says:

        Please see to the context. IT need to prioritise near future traffic unpredictable since lot of tech park construction is going on. Currently huge no. of ppl are commuting. Whitefield to Silkboard is the worst ever traffic you can find in Bangalore. Isn’t that obvious reason to take action and complete in fast mode. I don’t see this in phase 2 plan. They have called for tender but explicitly no spokesperson from BMRCL commenting on that.
        Secondly while initiating the reach 2 extension, reach 3 extension would have been started. BMRCL newsletter clearly shows the delay in work on Nagasandra to BIEC stretch. Demolition of building is not yet started. Also this doesn’t have as per BWSSB no water or drainage line comes in this section. Why in newsletter tells tender for road widening will be opened on 29.07.2016. Contradiction in your statement? No clear information on phase 3. Where is the roadmap? Instead of Jayadeva interchange, Silk Board interchange would have better. Already Silk Board flyover is not much of a use. Silk Board to KR Puram, Bommasandra and Nagawara metro route would have avoid a mess in Jayadeva.
        Why govt. is not concentrating on Sub-Urban Rail? This would be much cheaper solution when compared to metro. Already tracks are present between majestic to Whitefields and Majestic to Kengeri. These would have used to reduce congestion.

        Reply
  18. Sham says:

    Enough announcements have already been made about Silkboard-KRPuram route. So, where is the need for BMRC to keep repeating it every few days? They have already called for geo-tech investigation tenders for that route fyi.

    As I said, reach 3 extension road widening tender was out on 24-Jun-2016 after BDA’s PRR alignment was firmed up near BIEC. The delay if any was due to BDA. Tender process requires time for responses and is hence slated for opening on 29-July-2016.

    Ph-3 is still far away and they have proposed routes that TMRG had posted earlier with map – please go through. Silkboard and Jayadeva are both going to be interchanges for different lines along different directions which is how it should be instead of having too many lines converging at one point.

    I agree with you that suburban rail is also necessary but increasing tracks and building new stations may be very difficult as it involves huge land acquisition. Railway tracks within city are already under stress with inter-city trains as per railways. Hence they are trying to build a new coaching terminal at Baiyyappanahalli to shift some trains out from Majestic.

    Reply
  19. Murali says:

    I had skim throuh the Phase 3 map. But its not official map from BMRCL. BMRCL is spokesperson so it should be displaying in their website. I am not asking to construct extra station. Let more trains move during peak hours especially from Majestic – Byappanahalli – Whitefield. At least some burden on to road will be reduced during phase 2 work begins over that stretch. Jayadeva has got the best planned flyover. If it demolished how traffic will be managed during construction time. Where exactly Jayadeva Interchange will show up? Please pin point out in map. Similar details needed for the silkboard interchange since I live in BTM. Soon this area will be a traffic hell. Public should know what is BMRCL plan on this stretch.

    Reply
  20. Sham says:

    Shashidhar Sir,

    I have lot of experience in urban transport. Hence I was trying to explain things in a manner that you might understand. Whilst I agree train is required for Bangalore’s airport, it isn’t yet time for it as investments will be massive for a 36 km line that will end up in huge losses due to poor ridership. This may be why GoK is hesitant though they pretend they will build it. Please don’t expect it any time soon. I’m certain it’ll not materialize until there is sufficient development and need for metro all along the route, or major part of the route – as of now, demand for metro is only till Yelahanka.

    And Bangkok only claims that they do not have rolling stock. Why can’t they buy rolling stock and operate it if there is sufficient ridership? Is rolling stock not available only for their train? The real reason is that ridership was abysmal at some 400 per day. So, they closed it and to save face, they say rolling stock not available.

    I agree with you that Bangalore airport will grow and in ten years, it may have some 35-40 million passengers, but even this level isn’t sufficient to sustain a long dedicated metro line unless the intermediate areas provide regular daily commuters all through the day. Else, the train will end up incurring heavy losses like Delhi, Bangkok, KL, Hong Kong, Shanghai, Vienna etc and we as tax payers will be footing the bill for sure !! You can check with TMRG for a second opinion as should be well informed about the economics of airport metro rail operations.

    Reply
    • Shashidhar says:

      Airport Metro will not only go to airport , It will also have a station at Yelankha and other residential areas, Also you should know Devanhalli is next upcoming IT Area , along with other Sectors like Aerospace, It will also give companies to open their new offices at devanhalli.

      Singapore airport is success , Even Delhi Airport Metro is picking up. I will go by media reports on bangkok airport not unreported news.
      In Bangalore Airport Metro is planned properly from MG it would cover Mekri Circle, Hebbal, Yelankha , and other areas , so its not only Airport Passengers would use the Airport Metro , , they don’t spend money on land acquisition since National Highway service road can be used for elevated Rail like they are doing in Electronics City Road.

      As i said earlier going by BMRC delays it would easily take 8-10 years or may even 12 years for airport Metro to come up , so when its built after 10-12 years it will be economically viable , if people can pay 220 Rs for volvo why won’t they pay 100Rs + for airport Metro and more people would travel its priced at 100-125

      Even for Official announcement it will take another 2 years , then land acquisition , tender would take another 2-3 years , then building the metro would take another 4-5 years .

      One more reason for the Airport Metro be delayed is some deal between Govt ans Taxi companies , right it would cost 600-1000+ for Taxi , 220 for Volvo and even 125 for Metro we can imagine how many would switch to metro in 10 years time

      even most news paper like times and deccan herald are reporting on this delay and importance , so i am not the only one

      Reply
      • Sham says:

        Airport metro must have passengers all through the route, not just up to Yelahanka as I said. Also, remember that the last 5 km to airport past trumpet will be unproductive investment of over 1000 crores that has no scope for revenues. Land has already been notified on eastern side of Ballari road, so it won’t be a problem for land later.

        Devanahalli will be self sufficient as there are vast areas that are far cheaper than city. Nobody will commute such long distances daily to work from city as they will prefer to reside there itself. Besides, the business park is past the airport and airport train will not cover that side.

        I agree a metro might give a fillip to businesses there but it is a risk no govt will take – economic viability must be proven, not speculated. They will build it only when there is sufficient proven demand on the ground, not notional or anticipated. Else central govt and financiers will refuse to fund the project. Delhi was a different case – they never studied these aspects deeply and imagined it would work, but we know what happened.

        Singapore airport metro train is success only because it is close to city and intermediate areas are all fully developed. Delhi Airport Metro picked up somewhat after fare reduction but ridership is still too low and it is running huge losses.

        Again BMRC delays were due to faulty DPRs & tunnelling. Construction of overhead lines did not face delays. Newspaper reports highlighting importance is nothing new, they do it all the time. It does not mean viability is proven nor does it mean officials will scurry to build it.

        It is entirely up to you about what you believe about Bangkok airport train or anything else, but I think the reality is too obvious to ignore.

        Reply
        • Shashidhar says:

          what logic do u have , u say Devanahalli will be self sufficient why was Electronic City, whitefield, peenya not self sufficient but only devanhalli will be self sufficient .

          Dude u have not seen people commuting to Electronic City, Whitefield , Peenya and other areas which are far off.

          Airport Metro has not taken off due Govt not finalizing the route , not due to financial problem or central govt not approving . Let the govt finalise the route and do its job then we can leave it to financial approval .

          we cannot rubbish news paper reports

          Regarding BMRCL delays they don’t even know planning which phase to start first and which one last . Whitefield Phase and underground phase of phase 2 are the time consuming ones , they are last ones to start where the easier part of phase 2 have already started

          BMRCL cannot even lay tracks as per schedule between Malleshwaram and Majestic which is less than 1 KM ,

          Reply
          • Sham says:

            One hour daily commute each way is usually the average maximum people accept worldwide. This is why decibel levels for metro have become so high in Bangalore now than any other city as commute times are already more than that by road within Bangalore itself.

            EC, Whitefield and Peenya are all within a 20-25 km radius whereas Devanahalli business park is almost 40 km from city and some 60-odd km from south Bangalore. Commutes for such distances will take well over one hour even by metro, not counting last mile. So, people will opt to stay closer.

            Yes, airport metro has not taken off due to state govt not finalizing the route, sure. And I have tried to explain why they have not finalized it. Even if they did, it may not get funding, assuming it manages to go through CG /Urban development ministry and planning commission. Some politics is also involved – an example is CG delaying BMRC’s ph-2 DPR approval by two years (2012 to 2014) though Delhi’s ph-3 was submitted later but approved much earlier, only because there was a Bjp govt in Karnataka then and congress govt at the centre.

            BMRC has started constructions wherever they could. Others face delays due to various reasons and not because they wish to deliberately delay things. Land for road widening is primary as traffic jams are horrible.

            Agreed Whitefield and underground sections are time consuming, but they are also the most troublesome to start due to opposition and land constraints with different agencies involved. Land for Whitefield extension is yet to be acquired from NHAI on OMR whereas most private lands have been acquired after many lengthy hearings and negotiations. Same for underground section – stations and diversionary roads require huge land and also massive utility shifts unlike overhead.

            Unfortunately for BMRC, schedules are decided by people like Venkiah Naidu and Siddaramiah. Clearly, they cannot meet the Nov.1 deadline. No point claiming that BMRC cannot meet the deadline when its already a foregone conclusion.

  21. Sham says:

    Murali Sir,

    Only after state cabinet and central ministry of urban development approves BMRC’s plans for phase-3 including budgets can BMRC display it officially on their website. Remember BMRC is an SPV formed by state and central govts. What TMRG has posted is pretty accurate though. In any case, ph-3 is still very far off, as I said. So, can’t see why you need to worry about it now. It’ll be out in due course.

    Many inter-city trains are already operating between Majestic–Byappanahalli–Whitefield during peak hours and lot of people use those trains. If trains have to operate all through the day, then additional stations are a must, else they will run empty as it will become point to point non-stop trains with few riders.

    Jayadeva may be the best planned flyover, but the road width between Silkboard and RV road is insufficient for the long term with no scope for widening. Jayadeva Interchange will show up exactly where Jayadeva flyover is now with two lines crossing one another. Where else? TMRG had posted an update with news report that has a sketch about this interchange.

    Silkboard interchange may still be in planning stages and I expect it to be out only after DPR for Silkboard-KRPuram line is ready, which will take some time. Your concerns about traffic on that stretch are very valid. Lets see how they tackle traffic issues during construction there. What I think is that they may build Jayadeva first and once trains start there, they may build Silkboard interchange. Remember that they also have govt land on both the eastern sides of the junction which they may use as an option, but stations will of course be elevated.

    Reply
    • Shashidhar says:

      Again you are wrong regarding phase 2

      BMRC has itself to be blamed for Phase2 underground . it should have issued tender for phase 2 UG section by now. till now there is no tender issued , you can read the comment by TMRG , BMRCL claim to complete phase2 metro by 2021 but phase2 UG section work will start only 2019 and it would take another 6 years or more

      Phase 2 planning and scheduling has been very bad

      you are going round and round on Airport Metro with ur arguments, Karnatak Govt has to be ready with Route and DPR. then only it will can get financial assistance and central govt approval no where in world will you get financial assistance and then govt decides the route. better u understand the process of metro project before commenting

      Dude u don’t know how many people travel more than 40 KM currently , from kengeri to Whitefield, Yelankha to Electronic City,

      BRMCL planning so good that they don’t even have space for bus stop in Baiyappanahalli station in spite of being huge station , BMTC buses start from previous station that speaks volume of BMRCL planning

      Reply
      • Sham says:

        BMRC did very rigorous soil testing for ph-2 u/g sections after TBMs got stuck in rock in ph1 – are you aware of this? And with ph-1 learnings, they also decided to increase diameter of tunnels slightly for better tunnel maintenance access and wider escape routes. So, they did a completely fresh DPR for UG section which caused some delay.

        If they had hurried things up and issued tenders for UG with DPR specs prepared by DMRC, there would most certainly have been problems with TBMs getting stuck again.

        2021 is impossible for full completion but they may open some extensions by then. Full completion of ph-2 will be around 2023-24 (7/8 years).

        Two DPRs for airport line are ready (Ballari road route and Nagawara-Bagalur route). But Karnataka govt may not be ready to take risks with airport line and their priority is city lines first. Have you considered that? In any case, why are you so concerned for airport line? How many times do you go to airport? Do you work there and commute from city daily? Why can’t you use volvo buses? Lots of airport employees use them with passes.

        People travel over 40 km by fast limited stop suburban that can do it in an hour, not metro that averages 32 km /hr.

        I don’t see what the problem is with bus bays at SV road station just before Baiyyappanahalli – its actually better as the bus bays are just off the main road whereas land in Baiyyappanahalli is few hundred meters inside. BMRC may need the land inside Baiyyappanahalli, probably for future depot expansion as line is being extended to Whitefield.

        Reply
        • Shashidhar says:

          if BMRC has done rigorous soil testing for ph-2 why has phase 2 tenders still not out still ??

          TBM got stuck thats fine but BMRC should have expected delays in UG section and started UG section first , but why does it 4 months to lay tracks for 1 KM strech between , why is Stations for UG section not complete after 9 years after starting of phase 1 construction .

          no lessons learnt UG section of phase 2 will be last to start and with 6 TBM it will take ages to complete

          Dude u r talking as if Bangalore Metro is only metro with UG section , Delhi metro has much more UG section and they have completed before their scheduled time as well stop blaming everything on DMRC , if BMRC knows DMRC is doing bad why cannot do DPR specs on their own or consult some one else

          Finalising the route for Airport does not need risk, Govt can finalise the route and once financial viability is ready , project can take off , As per ur estimates Phase 2 will complete in 2023, then Airport lIne if it starts from Nagawara it will take another 10 years . so is Nagawara route if followed for Airport we will have metro after 15-20 years !!!

          Stop asking silly and insane questions on Airport Metro

          Why do u defend every stupid decision of BMRCL, they have done stupid planning in Baiyyappanahalli hence bus bays are at previous station

          Its not only Airport Metro BMRC is not able to complete a small strech between majestic and malleshwaram

          Reply
          • Sham says:

            Majestic station is currently still under construction with only one entrance open. So, how are you sure that if tracks are laid from Malleswaram, services can be started immediately? And it is exactly to avoid problems that DPR was redone by RITES.

            Delhi metro may have been lucky to complete their first two phases within 15 years without problems but their third phase is delayed due to TBM stuck problems (two TBMs were stuck). Besides, other elevated sections are also behind schedule. So, please don’t talk like as if Delhi never faced problems – all metros will at some point or the other as its very complex work.

            Airport is financial risk, not a construction risk. Hope you can distinguish between the two?

            I think you are the one being silly here linking everything to time and trying to blame every thing about BMRC without trying to understand the complexities. Metro construction is not like playing a game of chess. And if there are delays, it doesn’t mean that they don’t want to do it fast. So, any wishlists by some are irrelevant.

            -EOD-

  22. Shashidhar says:

    Sham

    Delhi Metro Phase 1 started in 1998 and completed in 2006 – length 65 KM in 8 Years
    Delhi Metro Phase 2 started in 2006 and completed in 2011 – length 124 KM in 5 years
    Delhi completed 189 KM metro in 13 years and not 15 years as u mentioned

    Delhi Metro Phase 3 started in 2011 and so far has completed 22 KM out of 160 KM in 5 years is planned to complete the rest 138 KM in 3 years
    Phase 3 has been slow , but they did good job in phase 1 and 2 unlike bangalore metro and they plan to complete in another 2 years which still be good pace for 160 Km in 7 years

    but Bangalore metro has been slowest in the recent metro construction and worst it looks like even phase 2 will take 8-9 years and will be slow like phase 1

    Even 72Km of Bangalore Metro Phase 2 is expected to take 8-9 years , which is much more than Delhi Phase 1, 2 and 3 timelines

    Compare this to Bangalore Metro where we have completed 30KM in 9 years so we are know way near Delhi Phase 1 and Phase 2 pace of construction

    I think you don’t understand the basic of infra structure projects especially large projects , without DPR and route ready u won’t get any financial approval/investment . Dude u are not able to understand a simple fact that route has to be finalized first and then govt can wait for few years financial approval which is not state govt hands ,

    u keep on arguing on such a simple fact that forget u won’t get bank loan if building plan is not ready u cannot say u may not get loan u won’t have ur plan ready.

    even for New Route of KRPuram – SilkBoard , BMRC has given tender for DPR specifying the route
    , BMRC and state govt once the DPR is ready will get financial assistance , since govt does not any approved funds

    Dude i know much better how infra projects work u better learn

    Reply
  23. Sham says:

    As I said earlier, comparing Delhi with Bangalore is inappropriate as Delhi is capital, & especially their metro gets top priority for approvals, clearances, funding, foreign consultancies etc.

    Can you name any other city for comparisons? How about Kolkata or Chennai or Hyderabad or Mumbai or Navi Mumbai? Earlier, you claimed that BMRC was slowest of all. When proved wrong, you are again going back to Delhi for comparisons. Likewise about airport trains at Delhi, Bangkok, KL, HK etc that you claimed were doing well but proven wrong. In fact, Bangkok line is closed, as you discovered only after I pointed out to you. So, you have gone silent on airpirt line now.

    I think you are confused about DPR & funding. Fyi without DPR that includes favorable EIRR (Economic internal rate of return), funding by CG & financial institutions is not possible. And despite huge delays & goofups in DPRs by DMRC & also CG approval, BMRC managed to push its ph-2 through. Kolkata & Mumbai which are much bigger cities have approvals for expansion but progress is much slower. All others haven’t even completed DPRs for thier ph-2, let alone getting approvals.

    So one wonders if you really understand basics of large infrastructure projects that you claim to know everything about.

    Reply
    • Shashidhar says:

      Dude stop shifting from one topic to another

      You are really confused about planning , without a plan no one is going to fund ur house forget airport Metro or even KR Puram -silkBoard stretch so for u to say route will only be ready after funding becomes clear, is absurd that will never happen

      Delhi Metro was headed by E Sreedharan , u better find out about him u will understand why Delhi metro is successful.

      Delhi inspite of delays in phase 3 as u pointed out it still has very good pace of completion

      Not even road project is funded without plan/route go and check on NHAI website u will understand , for road projects which are not bid by private players , govt tries to build on their own or other options but for all these happen plan should be ready

      Rest of cities have Suburban Rail/City Rail hence they started Metro projects late.

      BMRC is slowest of all for phase 1 , u check out timelines of Mumbai, Hyderbad and Chennai and compare their Length u will understand only Bangalore has 10 years for 40Km metro , all the cities will complete their 40Kms much before 10 years

      Dude u are ill informed , only after approvals and funding , Phase 1 was started , BMRC delays were due to stupid reasons like ambedkar statue shifting and other state govt reasons , apart from tunneling issues , BMRC did not give sufficient compensation initially and later on they have good compensation hence they were able to acquire properties

      Bangkok airport is shut for other reasons , not as u claim , Airport Line is priority and very soon it will be approved so stop worrying about this

      Reply
  24. Sham says:

    Dude are you saying Bmrc did not have any plans at all but still got Dpr approved for ph-1 & 2? Fyi they hv commissioned Dpr for ph-3 also through Rites.

    And none of the cities have completed ph-1 of metro yet, except delhi. Mumbai did only 11km in six years. So what timelines are you talking about? And check how long chennai took to build MRTS that had failed miserably.

    Agreed other cities have suburban rail & Mrts but other than Mumbai, suburban or mrts trains in none of the other cities are sufficient nor suitable as routes are designed for inter-city trains, not for intra-city commutes.

    Reply
    • Shashidhar says:

      what the use of these DPR if BMRC takes ages to start construction and then ages to complete , None of cities have started construction 2005 hence they have not completed , why should we believe u and BMRC timelines but not in other cities timelines Delhi shown twice in phase 1 and Phase 2 how to stick to times lines
      bangalore has more than 10 years and still phase 1 is not complete

      Reply
  25. Sham says:

    Bmrc paid market rate compensations from the beginning unlike others that are doing it only now after land bill was passed. So you are wrong again. Crucial 1-ph delay was in tendering u/g sections for which dpr had to be redone – you conveniently ignore that.

    Bangkok stopping airport line for “other reasons” is ok for you but Bangalore must build airport metro. Wonder what all you will say against Bmrc if & when it gets built & is closed down due to poor ridership. But I know that it will not happen because it will get built only when viable, not before like Bangkok or Delhi or KL.

    Reply
    • Shashidhar says:

      What about Jayanagar Line why is it still not running even after completion?

      all ur excuses for delay is about DPR and u only blame Delhi Metro for that . what about delays in elevated structure whom do u blame for that , what about station completion whom do u blame for that ,

      Dude u nothing about Metro and route plans , airport Line does not mean people only travel to Airport. what about Kengeri, Kanakapura , BIEC on Tumkur road which major Industry is there. in all these areas

      U are only person who keeps defending BMRCL

      Reply
  26. Sham says:

    Metro construction is a long process, not like moving pawns on a chessboard. And accurate DPRs is the basic first step. And even DPRs can take up to 18 months to be prepared. This is followed by many processes like state and central govt approvals, land identification /measurements /acquisition, road widening, shifting of utilities etc before actual construction can begin.

    True that none of the cities (except Delhi) started construction in 2005 or before, including Bangalore which started in Apr-2007 and none have completed ph-1. Mumbai took 6 years for 11 km but stopped after that to resolve land issues first.

    To improve the very long timelines, CG needs to come up with proper guidelines and assistance to enable states to complete their projects faster as urban mobility is the biggest problem in cities now. There isn’t any point targeting and blaming individual projects like BMRC. All projects are in the same boat, including Delhi whose phase-3 is also delayed.

    Re. South reach (reach-4), it isn’t operational as there is no depot /maintenance facility for coaches as depot is in the north at Peenya. BMRC tried to start services but CRS would not certify the line for commercial operations. Tunnelling problems have delayed its start. There were no unreasonable delays in construction of elevated viaducts in phase-1. You are aware of all this, but still keep ranting as you love to keep blaming BMRC in your frustration.

    Construction of Kengeri and Kanakapura rd line extensions have already started 2-3 months ago. Read TMRG’s updates or google & find out.
    Silkboard-Bommasandra and Hessaraghatta-BIEC section road widening call for tenders was out on 24-Jun-2016, will be opened on 29-July-2016.
    Baiyappanahalli-Whitefield section tender was out on 29-Jun-2016, will be opened on 3-Aug-2016.

    Also, BMRC’s July newsletter has following about new lines:
    28(1) Notification has been issued in respect of lands from RV Road to Silk Board and from Silk Board to Muneshwaranagar Station. Joint Measurement of lands has been completed.
    28 (1) Notification for lands from Gottigere to Dairy Circle is approved by the Government and is published in the Karnataka Gazette on 05.11.2015. Joint Measurement is completed and is verified by SLAO.

    So, keep following newsletters patiently instead of ranting all the time.

    Reply
    • Shashidhar says:

      Dude u stop ranting at every one here defending ur officials at BMRC , all ur lame excuse is only about DPR and for that too u blame only DMRC so the entire phase 1 was delayed due to DPR as per ur bizarre logic

      how easily u did not answer about station delays and elevated section delays is that also due to DMRC

      Dude stop joking , even elevated sections like Peenya to Malleshwaram, Byapanalli and Vijaynagar were all delayed

      Read my comment before u rant

      Reply
  27. Sham says:

    Dude I don’t work for BMRC. MG Rd-Baiyyappanahalli was not delayed as you claim & opened 20-Oct-2011 (4.5 years of ph-1 commencement).
    North elevated sections opened later as Peenya depot was necessary for operation due to tunnelling delays and there was no access for north line to Baiyyappanahalli depot.
    West elevated sections opened once tunnel access was available through Majestic station to Baiyyappanahalli depot as there is no depot on west (south line hasn’t started due to this reason).

    I think the wait was pretty much acceptable considering BMRC planned Peenya depot later (along with ph-1 reach extensions) and needed time to build and make it operational. Also, railways had delayed crucial sections like the bridge at Malleswaram and there had been land issues at Swastik /Mantri station with railways, but thankfully they had all got solved.
    Guru innu yeshtu bhaithira neevu bari bmrc annu ? Bmrc avaru obbare sari sari yella maadakke aaguvudhilla. Yellaru co-operate maadi sari maadidre yella sari hooguthe, illadiddare heege ne hogta irruthe.

    Reply
    • Shashidhar says:

      No Body is blaming only BMRC completely but BMRC has major share of blame , i think if u seen the articles in newspaper , state govt , railways have also some share of blame , buts its mainly BMRC

      There is no point arguing with you. u have excuse for every delay and mismanagement ,Continue ur good work at defending BMRC for all delays

      Reply
  28. Sham says:

    You can keep assigning major share of blame as per newspapers to Bmrc but fact is there were several agencies involved who have all not given the priority needed for Bmrc’s work.
    Also unfavourable rocky terrain has caused lot of frustration to all. But I am of the opinion that Bmrc did try to speed things & deliver & delays were clearly beyond their control.

    Reply
  29. metro comuter says:

    Bangalore people are frustrated because of not connecting Mantri to Majistic which is dilly dailling for

    long now and each are pointing at other agency hope at least Government takes necessary step to

    close and will get to know on starting of this journey hope at least we can expect as Diwali Gift

    Reply

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