1st Segment Launched for Bangalore Metro’s Challegatta Extension
On January 9, a crew from IL&FS Engineering commissioned their first launching gantry crane at Nayandahalli to begin launching precast segments for building the viaduct of Bangalore Metro Purple Line’s 8.814 km western extension to Challeghatta. This milestone was accomplished by IL&FS 21 months after they won a contract to build the 3.945 km Reach 2A package of the Bangalore Metro’s 72 km Phase 2 project between Mysore Road and Pattanagere.
The western extension of the line is being built in 2 parts by IL&FS (Reach 2A) and Soma Enterprises (Reach 2B) and consists of 7 new stations at Nayandahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bangalore University, Pattanagere, Mailasandra, Kengeri and Chellagatta (recently added). The extension’s first pier started to take shape at Nayandahalli in May 2016.
Map of Mysore Road – Challegatta extension – view Bangalore Metro Phase 2 map & info
Photo Copyright: Ajay Kumar
Photo Copyright: Ajay Kumar
Photo Copyright: Prakash Mukherjee
Photo Copyright: Prakash Mukherjee
Photo Copyright: Prakash Mukherjee
Photo Copyright: BMRCL
Each segment weighs 40 tons and usually 10 segments are required to build one span between two adjacent piers. Here’s my go-to video to demonstrate how the Launching Gantry works its magic with precast segments to build modern segmental viaducts and bridges:
Going forward, I’ll be posting one-off construction images on Twitter so do follow or check out my handle.
For more updates, check out the Bangalore section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
nice but why has it taken 21 months?
Delayed approvals from the BBMP for cutting trees is one of the reasons, but I see that affecting only the station sites and not the viaduct’s construction, which for the most part is coming up on Mysore Road’s median.
There’s some contractor led delays involved as well. First pier started taking shape only in May 2016. Compared to other new metro construction work in India (or even Reach 4B in B’lore), IL&FS here has been the slowest so far.
Very happy to see work going on close to my neighborhood. When do you think they’ll open it?
A 2019-end opening for Reach 2A is quite possible, but let’s see what challenges come up over the course of construction.
Reach 2B’s contract was awarded in March 2016 and as such, not even a single pier has been cast till now. I don’t see that section opening before 2020.
TMRG – when do you predict the completion of puttenahalli extension to nice road?
a 2019-end opening is quite possible. Let’s see.
SOMA has been quite slow in gettting off the block…but work near the Bangalore University and RV college stations is picking up at a brisk pace. Concrete piers for the station have been set up
Hi, the RV College Station at Pattanagere is part of IL&FS’ scope. Everything south of it is under Soma’s scope.
True, the latest newsletter seems to indicate that they are starting the piling work right now in Reach 2B. While the BMRCL seems to be doing about average as an organization, their unrealistic deadlines and, defensiveness when questioned, is disturbing. Hope they are not lying to themselves and making financial projections on them. Bangalore can least afford a failed metro.
I an willing to wager that this extra bit of the line will be complete and operational before the whitefield extension of the same line
Curios to know on how how much time does it take to move from one set of piers to another.
First set was upheld since 10th Jan night and works is still stuck on that.
Is it going to be same for all sets?
They must have run into some issue. Usually it takes anywhere from 7-10 days/span to launch segments & join them together using post-tensioning techniques. IL&FS will deploy 2-3 LG cranes to speed up work.
Thanks TMRG, now indeed its taking around 7 days for one set of piers.
I Guess there will be a depot with bus station at the Challeghatta depot.. This depot would be getting directly on the 150ft road 10.7km Arterial road of Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout. Am I correct?
Where is the last stop of reach 2b , is it near to RR medical college or RR dental college.
By when this will be operational as Wikipedia says the target is to complete kengeri extension till dec 2018.
The depot comes right opposite to RR Medical College and that is proposed to be last stop.