Bangalore Metro – July 2016 Tunneling Update
Hat tip to many readers out there for alerting & reminding me about the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation making their July newsletter available! As a reminder, all data in the newsletter was recorded at the start of the month – i.e. July 1.
Phase 2
Continuing from the May newsletter, the BMRCL’s team has done a good job in capturing the progress of Phase 2’s extensions & new lines. However, bear in mind that 0 new notices inviting construction have been posted since May 2015 and that is worrying. The BMRCL till now has only invited bids & awarded contracts for 3 packages: 2 for the extension of the Purple Line to Challegata and 1 for the extension of the Green Line to Anjanapura/NICE junction – and work on those stretches has just commenced over the past couple months. As such, without any new new packages in the tendering stage (see BMRCL’s tender page), construction work elsewhere is at the very least 12 months away from beginning.
Financing is a vital component of infrastructure projects and here’s something for all of you to think about:
Metro organizations publish notices to invite bids and award contracts only when funds are guaranteed or available. In Ahmedabad, JICA committed required funds in November 2015, and since then, MEGA has finished inviting bids for the construction of its entire 37.77 km Phase 1 project. It’s a similar story in Lucknow where the LMRC is expected to finish inviting bids this month – again, with requisite funds in hand from the EIB. Coming back to Bangalore, the BMRCL has only been able to conclude 1 ODA loan deal of Rs. 1500 crore out of Rs 12000 crore that it requires. The CPRO maintains that they’ve negotiated the terms for the remainder & have other options to finance, and all of this is part of their strategy to keep debt low and avoid interest. That strategy sounds straight out of Finance 101, and while I’m no loan guru (or shark), it’s one thing to conclude a deal and another to withdraw & receive funds. Take Mumbai Metro’s Line 3 for example – contracts for its construction were just awarded last week and now there’s news of the loan’s 1st tranche (Rs 450-500 crore) being released by JICA for its construction. MMRCL had tied up funds for this project in 2013 – so was MMRCL piling on debt all this time? I don’t believe so. What do you think?
Phase 1
As always, let’s first take a look at some new snaps of the underground sections, and then dive into analyzing the data for Phase 1:
Chickpet’s northern shaft from where segments are lowered for Krishna to build rings – Photo Copyright: BMRCL
KR Market station – Photo Copyright: BMRCL
Waterproofing works on top of the Majestic interchange – Photo Copyright: BMRCL
Purple line – Tunneling work by the CEC-CICI JV on the Purple line’s 4.8 km underground section between Magadi Road – MG Road started in May 2011 and got completed in March 2014. Following that, trial runs began in November 2015. The line was finally inaugurated on April 29 2016 and commercial operations started the next day at 6 am. A comprehensive history of the underground section from bidding to construction to testing can be viewed here.
Green line – The Green line’s tunnels from the North Ramp (near Sampige Road station) to the South Ramp (near National College station) are being constructed by a JV of Coastal – TTS with some help from the Robbins Company and the CEC-CICI JV. In the month of June, TBM Kaveri made a successful breakthrough at the Majestic station’s South Shaft and now only 1 more breakthrough by TBM Krishna is left to wrap up tunneling works on the metro’s Phase 1 project.
Here’s a map displaying the incomplete Green line’s underground section between Majestic & Chickpet. As of July 1, Only TBM Krishna is tunneling from Chickpet to Majestic.
Arrows represent direction of tunneling by the last 2 TBMs – view Bangalore Metro map
Here’s a table which compares the progress made by the 2 TBMs in June:
| TBM | Origin | Destination | Distance | May 1 | June 1 | July 1 |
| Krishna | Chickpet | Majestic | 747m | 504m | 572m | 607.5 m |
| Kaveri | Chickpet | Majestic | 747m | 644m | 723m | 747m |
• The Krishna TBM made a breakthrough at Chickpet station on August 31 from the KR (City) Market station after a slow and tiring journey of 22 months. After being put through repairs for 112 days, the TBM was then commissioned on December 22 towards Majestic for one final drive. June was one of the toughest months for the TBM’s operators, but they are now seeing much more favorable conditions.
Distance Left – 139.5 meters (July 1) & 117 meters (July 11)
• The Kaveri TBM was commissioned from the Chickpet station in mid February 2015 and made a successful breakthrough at the Majestic station’s South Shaft on June 8 – view details, lots of images and a video. The TBM’s crew is now engaged in dismantling the TBM – see images here and here.
Note: TBM Kaveri will not be a part of next month’s update.
Northern Section: Sampige Road – Majestic
The distance between the 2 stations is only 1.5 km, and both twin tunnels between the North Ramp & Majestic have were completed by TBM Margarita and TBM Godavari. Besides plinth work in the track area, now flash butt welding has started. Here’s a recent image showing the 1st turnout placed at the intersection of the underground line with the rake interchange line that connects up to the Purple Line.
In the June update, I mentioned how the the CPRO indicated that they’re now now targeting to open all pending stretches (Sampige Road – Majestic – National College – Yelachenahalli) in one go, but now the public response seems to have changed once again.
@gadagrj at present we have the feeder services – this small stretch may take another 2 months or so to open
— Namma Metro CPRO (@uavasanthrao) June 19, 2016
When pressed for a definitive answer, Namma Metro fan Ravi received a vague answer:
@gadagrj @TheMetroRailGuy we are doing some alternative plans to complete the work -we are as anxious to commence as you.
— BMRCL (@cpronammametro) July 6, 2016
…and I received none:
@gadagrj @cpronammametro Still waiting for details on the alternate plan. Can you please explain?
— The Metro Rail Guy (@TheMetroRailGuy) July 7, 2016
Southern Section: Majestic – National College
Over the past months, I was expecting TBM Krishna to arrive at Majestic’s South Shaft in August-September. Tunneling is always unpredictable, but with so many of you asking for a rough time-frame, I’m going to further narrow it down to late August.
Let’s keep construction aside for a bit – there’s far too much work at the stations and shaft remaining. As most of you know, the northern section’s tunnels were completed in November 2015 and April 2016, and with cross-passage works coming to an end, only recently has track-related activity commenced. I expect the southern section to contain at least 1 cross-passage, if not 2 (based on distance) for emergency and maintenance purposes. Despite that, the BMRCL amusingly still maintains they will have the tunnels (and tracks) ready in September to be able to send trains and begin trials on the elevated National College – Yelachenahalli section.
It’s only a matter of time for the BMRCL and Karnataka government to announce a new deadline for the entire Phase 1 project. Perhaps they’ll do it when Krishna makes a breakthrough? Perhaps they’ll skip that all together and continue telling Bangaloreans that work is complete and they’ll only need a few more months, as the CPRO has done so far with the northern section? We’ll have to wait and see how they spin it this time around.
BMRCL’s plan of commencing operations on the pending stretches is still pretty vague and construction activity (stations, shafts) is showing no signs of picking up pace. It’s certain that no new stretches of Phase 1 will open this year. From an earlier estimate of mid 2017, I’m now expecting the entire Phase 1 to be operational in Q3-Q4 2017.
What are your thoughts?
For more updates, check out the Bangalore section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
Plan has changed again – God save us. This time the spin they’ve used is to avoid inauguration costs of Rs 2 crore
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31806&articlexml=BMRC-delays-launch-of-small-crucial-stretch-to-12072016005025
That’s awfully noble of them to save Rs. 2 crore of the taxpayers’ money.
its due to inauguration spend BMRCL is going slow on an important link between malleshwaram and majestic . why cannot BMRCL ask for low key inauguration for the small link. does this mean in Phase 2 BMRCL won’t inaugurate small stretches
as it is BMRCL is going slow , now we have more stupid reasons to delay much further
Oh come on, this is India…everything has to be BIG with everybody connected to ministers to be invited even though they are not even remotely connected to metro for the photo-op. Their motto: Save 2cr forget the many x000cr of public money being wasted.
Read my comment before replying , i have clearly mentioned to have low key opening
Yes Sir..I agree with you…I was being sarcastic on the way of things get inaugurated in India..I’m also for quick openings esp projects like metro
No idea how much politics is involved in the delays, but BMRC is surely & purposefully incompetent. Needless to say, the delays had been introduced long ago to support private transporters, auto rickshaws & BMTC, whose revenues would have been hit in case a DMRC style metro service came up. And now, after the failed, non viable airport express line in Delhi, we r all set to witness (in some decades) a 45 km line to KIA (BLR), which will be even less viable than Delhi’s AEL.
Thank you for the update. CPRO said distance left is 105m and you are saying 117m??
Hi, add up the CPRO’s numbers. 630 (completed) + 105 (pending) = 735. But the official length is 747m. Something is amiss. That’s why I always rely on the official newsletter.
Thanks TMRG for the well-thought analysis, another compelling narrative that keeps us readers hooked to your blog each day. Regarding the tunneling in my humble opinion, there is loose soil, which is also tough to tunnel through, that is lying ahead of Krishna as per newspaper reports. This might cause slow down as it nears majestic. Hence, your assessment of a late August breakthrough is extremely fair and might even get extended to the beginning of September.
Regarding the entire phase 1 completion, keeping in mind it took almost 2 years from the final breakthrough to commencement of purple line operations, it seems to me that 2018 Q1 is a fair estimate for the final trial run and the eventual opening up. They must have been snorting cocaine to expect a November 1 completion, or did they mean November 2018??
Hi Shubhangi, thanks for your thoughts! Starting operations in 10-15 months after the final breakthrough is the standard set by the DMRC. Hoping the BMRCL aims for that (and has learned from past exp), but really wouldn’t be surprised at all if Q1 2018 turns out to be the actual quarter. I’m glad you remember the awful amount of time they took from the final breakthrough. That’s often not recollected by many.
Very nice update and analysis TMRG. Your assessment for a Q3-Q4 2017 completion is spot on IMO. Re. finances, I feel they may be negotiating better terms since they have some time before land acquisition /road widening works are done.
The longer time taken for opening UG section of purple line may have been because Majestic interchange had not been ready though other aspects could be readied earlier. Majestic also has a rake interchange apart from passenger subways and a dozen entry /exit points – too complex in congested conditions.
There are certainly too many people with queries related to completion of Bangalore metro, certainly much more than any other city. I think ministers (CM & UDM) are setting unrealistic deadlines which BMRC has to keep towing. Wish ministers take BMRC’s opinion before setting deadlines instead of announcing and then postponing repeatedly.
If they put more money and man power (which they claim are doing), can work completion be quickened for remaining part of construction work. Trial run, QC, Approval from various authorities, etc of course cant be made quicker even with increased man power.
Still Biggest bottle neck could be completion of Majestic interchange station, which is supposed to be as big as 4 foot ball stadiums. TBM breakthrough is just an excuse.
a lot of work is left. breakthrough, then dismantling machine. Kaveri is still not dismantled fyi.
Then they have to do track plinth work, track, electrify, signaling, oscillation trials, complete not just majestic but all other stations, get more trains, buy useless x-ray machines, hire random dudes as security guards, approvals, then one muhurtham that matches with convenient times of CM, PM, astrologer, priest, flower-waala.
There is a LOT of work pending.
yea q1 2018 for sure.
and remember i came up with that estimate a while back. I am going to ask CPRO for an award when that happens
Thanks for the Tunnelling update! It’s sad they changed the deadline to December, which will become next year:(
It may be possible to open the green line without completion of tunnel by TBM Krishna. The gap is only between two stations. They may do single tracking. That means they may continues working on one tunnel while using the other. This is happening in Washington DC Metro system for maintenance. It will only mean the frequency of metro in green line will be less. Is this what they are aiming for? Are there interchanges before and after each station for this to work?
I wonder where cross over happens if they use only one tunne(cross over from one track to two tracks). I doubt tunnels and stations have been designed that way. If they have to use single track, it should be for complete stretch of tunnel — from Sampige Road/Mantri Mall to National College. That is going to reduce frequency drastically and create chaos.
Crossover might happen at majestic. There is an interchange between purple line there and so may have a crossover for both northbound and southbound tracks. And yes frequency would reduce but the frequency can be every 15 minutes with single tracking if they can go down to frequency of 6 minutes in purple (which is what is expected frequency as final frequency).
what is the status of construction at majestic for Green line?
Station finishing works are in progress. They mentioned “800 Track Meters completed out of 8000 Track Meters” for UG-1. I have a feeling this number includes the station area along with the rake interchange line.
Awesome update TMRG..very clear to understand for the novices and I should say more realistic dates.
Good analysis. You are realistic. We can rely on your estimates always. Were you able to find any new update on KR Puram to Silk Board link newly planned ?
Hi, nothing new on that line. Give it some time. Will share details whenever something new is announced or firmed up.
please check the new report of Hindu
It says that only 90 m is left
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/tunnelling-for-metros-south-corridor-in-final-stage/article8832873.ece
Hi, the info in that article was incorrectly provided by the CPRO – see this tweet.
Hello Metro rail Guy,
What is the update on gottigere – nagawara route (RED LINE). Bannerghatta Road from Gottigere i remember bids have been invited to widen the roads. But no updates from BMRCL so far. When will the RED LINE construction going to start
Hi, depends on when they invite bids. I’ve shared my thoughts here.
Kindly increase the frequency of trains . I commute in purple line on daily basis. Request to have one separate bogi for ladies and aged ppl. Evening when it is over crowded it becomes very difficult for ladies to stand crushing in between many men around.
Hi Supriya,
Follow @CPRO tweets. Already discussed about the problem faced by you.
BMRCL is having strategic plan to increase the frequency and coaches. Reservation for ladies and senior citizens is not in a plan.
Hi Nitin,
New lines Red and Yellow gonna take longer time to commence work. Currently BMRCL concentrated on extension of existing reach. TMRG already raised a concern about this.
BMRCL has not learnt any lessons from Phase 1 , even in Phase 2 tenders are still not for UG sections
with 6 TBM it will take ages to complete phase 2 , BMRCL is not able to complete laying tracks on small stretch between Malleshwaram and Majestic in 4 months
It normally takes about a minimum of one year after tunnel breakthrough to commence operation. Small sections may reduce time marginally but most works are done sequentially as the jobs cannot be done simultaneously – from building emergency cross tunnels to track bed laying to track laying to cable laying and electrification to testing to certification.
So, it is foolishness to expect Mantri-Majestic line track laying /line opening within 4 months from tunnel break through.
why does it take 4 months to even start track laying for such a small stretch ? forget completing it
BMRCL has just started track laying , no one is asking to complete the work and start metro in 4 months , but atleast track laying work should have completed by now
Dude first they have to complete building emergency cross tunnels and lay several layers of concrete track beds and then cure them. I posted the sequence above. Appreciate you stop raising silly questions repeatedly. How do you do things when you build a house? Do you start doing the flooring even before foundation is laid? Looks like you have no knowledge of construction.
Dude u stop putting silly comments , its being reported in news paper that BMRC is purposely delaying so save inauguration costs
so u think even the news paper are publishing silly articles without knowledge, BMRC chief himself is avoiding status on this section
don’t act over smart people are not dumb here, as per BMRC tunneling on 1 line which is not complete on KR Market to Majestic side and other which got completed last month , BMRC says it can be operational within 4 months from now
but it seems know much more than BMRC , they cannot complete works on lesser length stretch in which tunneling got completed in April , going by BMRC timelines by September should have operational.
Kiddo u know very little about BMRC so stop commenting and u don’t any knowledge on what BMRC has promised .
i am only questioning why they cannot follow same speed on other strech where tunneling on both lines was completed in April
don’t be dumb think before replying
They haven’t even removed the TBM from the tunnel. That takes a lot of time. Only after that can other works begin.
And the joke is on you for actually believing what CPRO or BMRC timelines. They have missed both by years. TMRG hasn’t. And DMRCL itself takes 10-15 months, I doubt BMRC can even manage that.
The official newsletter of the BMRC doesn’t have updates about the Gottigere – Nagarava line. It has details of all the other lines except this. Any particular reason, TMRG?
Hi, initial notifications for land acquisition were published in May. There are plans to widen Bannerghata road, but not sure if BMRCL or BBMP will take it up and when. BMRCL has 1st taken up the extensions of the existing lines, so there isn’t much progress to report about here. You can read about the progress of the line here along with my thoughts.
Hi, TMRG.
Just curious to know, with Phase 3 routes almost finalized and the work on Phase 2 started. There almost 5-6 places where phase 2 and phase 3 lines intersect. Is BMRC planning to build interchange stations at these places like the one in Majestic or will it build the phase 2 station first and then build the phase 3 section. Would it save time and money if the construction package is given together to build both line stations together.
i doubt it will be like majestic. mostly will end up with some half baked solution. have very little hope with BMRC
So you are still going by deadlines that ministers are deciding for BMRC? Sorry but they are too tight & almost everyone here has commented that they are impossible to be met. So, are you saying everybody here including TMRG is wrong?
It makes better sense to open the full NS stretch in one go rather than opening bits & pieces like they did earlier. Hyderabad has also not opened a single section yet because they want longer stretches completed before opening, which is sensible.
Its also better to have one opening ceremony as politicians love to have needless multiple opening ceremonies, imagining that it appeals to voters. Actually it is simply a waste of time and money & will use up BMRC’s manpower & resources which are better utilized for completing pending works.
BMRC opened small stretches 5 times earlier and now suddenly why are giving this reason , and they even plan to open Jayanagr stretch before UG section as per BMRC chief so why only delay the Malleshwaram to Majestic section,
tunneling of Chickpet side will take another 1-2 months , so even if BMRC takes 1 year for completion by BMRC time lines. Malleshwaram-Majestic strech should be complete by 4-6 months since tunneling would have completed 4 months as compared Chickpet side , since malleshwaram is lesser length why should people wait for 6 months for other section to complete
It makes more sense for people using metro from all 3 sides to be connected with each other rather use BMTC bus which takes more time
Yes, Malleshwaram-Majestic can be made exception as it can connect full north line with EW line, but south line can be opened in one go instead of operating a broken southern fragment.
However, to operate Malleshwaram-Majestic, Majestic station needs to be completed (at least the relevant sections).
It also depends on availability of a track interchange on green line section to terminate & reverse trains at Majestic. I’m not sure they have such a facility, though they have a rake interchange (between purple & green lines).
I tried to check the north part of NS route (from Majestic to Malleswarm) on google. They do not have any interconnect between the two NS tunnels. No reason why they should have had it & also it would have complicated things much further at Majestic.
Hence, it may not be possible to operate trains only up to Majestic from Nagasandra. They may be planning to open entire section in one go. Single line operation may be possible but it may not be worth all the additional effort for little gain as train frequency would be much lower.
Can everyone in the forum have introduction of Mr. Sham. Are you spokesperson for BMRCL.
Pls give us your intro.
It quite surprising that he defends BMRCL for every delay and mistakes so much and he blames DMRC complete phase 1 delay
Can you please specify what the mistakes were by BMRC? Delays were due to various issues beyond their control as per my findings as explained earlier (repeatedly).
Have you read the article in Firstpost that I had posted previously (under TMRG’s update thread on Geotech bids for CSB–KRP Line) ? If not, please do so to improve your understanding.
When CG’s development budget for metro-rail systems in Mumbai, Bengaluru, Chennai, Kochi, Lucknow and Nagpur combined are lesser than what is allocated for Delhi metro, and all obstacles from railways, NHAI etc were side stepped by CG for speedy completion of DMRC project for CWG games (ph-2), they would obviously finish faster.
I’m not taking anything away from Sreedharan’s great project execution skills, but DMRC also has huge backing from CG, Delhi being capital. Unfortunately, other cities do not have such CG support. Sorry, but it is inappropriate to expect similar speedy execution from other metro systems.
please check in newspaper about BMRC delays and mistakes in phase 1, it would be joke not to blame BMRC for delay and mistakes
BMRC is twice as slow compared to delhi metro , so BMRC and state govt both are to be blamed for the delay.
Other cities have larger phase2 they know delays to get approvals for every phase,
BMRC has not learnt from mistakes of phase 1 delays and we see the same in phase 2 , important parts of phase 2 not yet started like whitefield, UG section and Electronics city ,
BMRC should focus first on resolving the issues related to these and then they start on smaller extension of existing routes
if BBMP can resolve the issues with Railways & Army,IAF for lands req’d for underpass,flyover etc why cannot BMRC do more aggressively with NHAI and others
Again you are referring to newspaper articles that are always one sided and critical about delays from citizens’ perspective that completely ignore construction challenges. Fact is you have nothing but bogus claims about so called mistakes and aren’t able to substantiate anything that you claim.
And again you are making inappropriate comparisons with DMRC that has huge support from CG. Other cities may make phase-2 plans but have they prepared any DPRs? Have they got approvals? Has any work started at all?
And BMRC’s 72 km ph-2 is not small. If SB-KRP is added, it will be 90 km. So, stop this joke about other cities making grandiose plans on paper with nothing else to show on the ground.
You are aware that BMRC is focusing on resolving issues at Whitefield, UG section and Electronics city which you say are important but they are also the most difficult due to land issues, protests etc. And there is no reason why work must not start on smaller extensions of existing routes.
By this logic, are you saying all other work that BMRC is doing on other parts must all stop before these issues are sorted? Please talk some sense.
And fyi BBMP resolved issues with Railways & Army /IAF for lands req’d for underpass, flyover etc after over a decade. You conveniently don’t want to go into these facts that the same newspapers have also been reported – reinforces your bias.
I feel in every months updates, BMRCL should include the estimated deadlines for every line.
Such we can see deadline changes every month as seen by BMRCL.
Leave alone our predictions we can check what is planned by BMRCL if they have one.
Sorry but I don’t need to give any introduction as I am doing my own reserach & then post my observations instead of criticizing Bmrc for everything possible as some do here.
Those that expect miracles & indivudual wish lists to be promptly fulfilled need to explain fully how such miracles can be performed in practical terms instead of taking the easy path & resorting to criticizing & condemning them.
And building a metro network in a city that is already fully built up is not like moving pieces on a chessboard since there will certainly be challenges & limitations, made worse with rocky terrain & with politicians setting meaningless deadlines. So, those that keep criticizing need to bear all these things in mind before shooting off.
If you are independent then what is the motive behind taking special interest in replying to everyone’s post.
This seems to be orchestrated . We would rather rely on TMRG updates.
Why should’n’t I respond? It is entirely up to me, not according to parties that keep grumbling based on their wish lists.
And again you have nothing to show to justify your criticism. Come up with something credible with proof after researching to justify your complaints instead of criticizing meaninglessly. I have researched enough and my conclusion is that there have been many things that delayed ph-1 that were beyond Bmrc’s control. The only lapse I can think of is that they could have opened purple line earlier, but I have no way of knowing if Majestic station was ready or could be readied earlier to start entire purple line operations.
And I also agree with TMRG’s updates & deadlines. I do not rely on deadlines that are set by politicians for Bmrc.
instead of believeing newspaper why should believing you , are u some BMRC official or some minister ??
as per ur bogus claims , only DMRC messed up and hence the delays in BMRC , DMRC has done phase 1 and phase 2 is very good timelines , so the blame lies with planning of BMRC , BMRC delayed starting UG section phase 1 hence the big delays ,
Silk Board to KR Puram is not yet part of Phase 2 , let them make it part of phase 2 officially
Even Bangalore Phase2 has not started except for some small sections , if other cities have planned 100Kms or more for phase 2 why cannot bangalore plan ,
Chennai Phase 1- 54 KM , Phase 2- 123KM
Hyderabad Phase 1 -72 KM , Phase 2 8-3 KM
Dehi Phase 1 – 65 KM Phase 2- 125 KM Phase 3- 160 KM in construction Phase 4 -105 KM construction will begin in 2018
Mumbai operational 11 Km, Approved 68 KM ( Mumbai has suburban Rail ) has
with Rail facility also Mumbai 68 being constructed and 11 KM already running
by the time Bangalore Phase UG starts , other cities would have started their phase 2 and Bangalore Phase2 may complete before but other cities have 10-40 KM more network
Chennai and Hyderbad have suburban rail too , hence bangalore should have planned atleast 125 KM in phase 2 and 160 KM in phase like in Delhi
As of now bangalore has 72Km in phase 2 and 105 Km in phase 3 ,
You r not talking sense ,u don’t know what priority means Phase 2 planning is happening since 3 years , Land is a difficult issue in all areas, BMRC messed up whitefield area while mysore road they solved the issues
Earlier Defense and Railway minsters and officials were not cooperating which is not the case now , if BBMP can resolve why cannot BMRC resolve
Last 2 years most BBMP project held up due to Railway/defense land have all been given land and they are progressing , BMRC needs to raise it with top officials and ministers
except for small sections of phase 2 , major part of phase is still on paper unless construction starts
You can believe what you want. I have done my research & drawn my conclusions which I have described here many times. Redoing DPRs (for ph-1 & 2) has delayed BMRC’s progress massively as tenders could not be called based on incorrect data /estimates.
Very high priority was accorded to Delhi metro for CWG or for whatever reasons, at the expense of Bangalore metro – no doubt about that.
And you seem to be greatly impressed with “announcements” of long kilometers by other metrorail systems even though they haven’t got any DPRs done yet & even when their first phases are nowhere near completion, far behind Bangalore.
So, your assumption that by the time Bangalore’s ph-1 is completed, other cities would have started their ph-2 is bizarre & completely out of tune with reality. None of them can start ph-2 (like BMRC has done) because they do not have DPRs nor CG approvals yet, not to mention huge backlog of work pending on their ph-1.
RITES charges about 10 lakhs per km for preparing DPR. According to them, BMRC has DPR ready for maximum (200km) out of all their customers.
I agree with you that other cities have suburban or MRTS /MMTS & so Bangalore needs a more extensive metro system quickly. However, metro-rail system construction is highly complex & costs a lot more to build & operate. Thus BMRC has to be selective of routes due to land & other obstacles unlike Delhi that has very wide roads. For reference, they have DMRC which is losing money even now with 200+ km & 25 lakh commuters.
With BMRC’s ph-2 /2A (SB-KRPuram), most parts of the city will have metro within reach though people will still have to use private vehicles to address their individual last mile requirements.
Whitefield has been messed up by BBMP/BDA with narrow 4-lane roads. The IT companies & employees also insist on using cars & creating problems for giving up land for metro. So, blaming BMRC & expecting them to clean it all up in a hurry is nothing but highly biased thinking.
And you have no idea about defense land – it isn’t just two years at all. Lashkar hosur road, old airport rd (near defence accts office), lower agaram rd, baiyyappanahalli road over bridge, land near mekhri circle etc have been pending for over a decade. In fact construction of byp ROB started in Jan-2012 despite delay, but was stopped in 2013. Now, defence has been given some 400-odd acres at Anekal by GoK in exchange (land of same value).
NHAI is now creating problems for BMRC. If this had been Delhi, such issues would have been resolved speedily by CG & urban development ministry. Other cities do not have similar backing, unfortunately.
But the frustrated lot in Bangalore do not want to understand any of this since it suits them better to find a scapegoat to be blamed. And they choose BMRC for assigning all the blame.
who cares for ur fake research and false claims
CWG happened during phase 1 , what about phase 2 which was finished in 6 years that 100+ KM what is ur bizarre logic for Phase2 completion in 6 years that too 125 KM
even Bangalore Phase 2 cannot be completed in 6 years even though its just half of Delhi Metro
U read my comments properly, i had mentioned before UG section of phase 2 starts which looks like 2018/19 as of now by then other cities would have started their phase 2 and we know UG itself would take 5 years or more . no other city is taking 10 years for their phase 1 like bangalore
Delhi metro may not making much money as per u , but its a very good running metro with
even in announcements bangalore is bad right, unless construction starts we won’t believe in BMRC plans and their schedule
U check This website snapshot page u will know how good is bangalore
u are wrong on hyderabad which approved 72Km in phase 1 itself
Dude are u blind , i have clearly mentioned last 2 years after new govt at center came into power all stalled projects due to railways/defense land are moving ahead
how is that defense /railways have agreed and NHAI won’t agree so the blame lies with BMRC and what was BMRC doing all this ,
Phase 2 planning did not start now it started 2014 after all the clearance so what was BMRC doing since 2014 till now. why r u b;laming IT companies and their employees for the delay in land acquisition, as per ur bizarre logic BMRC did know their are IT companies and their employees use cars in whitefield when phase 2 was approved in 2014 what all lame excuses u come up
For every delay of BMRC u will either blame Delhi Metro, NHAI or some one else stop fooling people in this forum ,u r talking as if BMRC is very efficient and they have not any mistakes
stop posting ur fake theories and fake claims , everyone knows BMRC delays , only now they have started speeding up their work not completely though
Likewise I dont care for rants from highly frustrated souls. Looks like your time clock is also completely out of order. CWG was held in Delhi in 2010. CG had exerted lot of pressure on DMRC to complete ph-2 before CWG but they couldn’t (they finished it in 2011).
Bangalore’s ph-2 will take 10 years, may be more if agencies dont co-operate. So, lets hang BMRC. Maybe that’ll make people like you very happy.
No other city taking ten years for one ph? Wait for Chennai, Kolkata, Navi Mumbai, Mumbai & Hyderabad to complete their phases before making claims. And none of them faced the obstacles that BMRC did during ph-1.
And strange that you suddenly out of the blue say that they have started speeding up their work. Nobody is asking you to believe BMRC’s schedule – nobody believes what GoK spells out for them, including me.
Ph-2 planning started in 2014 & thats why some sections have started now whilst some others have reached demolitions & road widening stage. Remaining will happen as & when they complete land & other issues.
IT companies and their employees using cars are the ones causing congestion, not BMRC. It is these IT cos. that are creating problems for land acquisition.
I will post my findings & views wherever I please. You are free to disagree with them, but you are no one to tell me to stop writing, it is entirely up to me.
In this whole forum u are only frustrated BMRC soul who defends BMRC for all mistakes and blame other agencies , keep doing this job good luck to you
you can keep arguing till cows come home , but people of bangalore know the reality about BMRC delays and who responsible for this delay
You can keep claiming that BMRC is guilty of delays as per supposed newspaper reports but sorry, you haven’t been able to substantiate any ‘mistake’ in any of the many posts you made so far.
And you don’t speak for the whole of Bangalore. Perhaps you represent the most frustrated of Bangaloreans who easily resort to blaming till the cows come home!
Off late, I can see BBMP is newly constructing footpath on either sides of Bannerghatta road, right from IIMB till hulimavu gate, leaving no option for road widening. So these newly built footpath will be demolished once bmrcl wakes up?
The footpath construction is also happening in the Whitefield where the BMRCL has identified the road / place where the metro is going to be built. This govt unnecessary spending tax payers amount on the useless work.
Hmmm….sniff sniff…..smells of connivance between BBMP and the contractor involved. The BBMP official must have got kickbacks from the deal.
Of course, there is also the possibility that this is due to lack of coordination between BMRCL and BBMP. However, if I were a betting man, I would bet on the former.
Any idea if track work has started in the tunnel that kaveri dug ?