Trial Runs Begin on Bangalore Metro’s Mantri-Nat’l College UG Section
This morning, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) commenced trial runs/testing on the Green Line’s 4 km underground section between Mantri Square (Sampige Road) and National College Stations. The train was operated by a 3 member crew at 10 km per hour with a primary aim to look out for any flaws in the track-system and third-rail system from which Bangalore’s trains draw power. In the coming weeks, the BMRCL and its various subcontractors’ engineers will operate and monitor the train’s response to higher speeds, and check its braking & track system performance as well as the interconnection with the Operations Control Centre (OCC).
The underground section with 3 stations is officially referred to as UG-1, and was built by the Coastal-TTS JV (tunnels & 2 stations) and Coastal-GYT JV (Majestic Station). The final TBM breakthrough to build the line’s tunnels was achieved by TBM Krishna at Majestic Station’s South Shaft in September 2016. Between March 13-22 2017, the BMRCL closed down a section of the Green Line between Sampige Road and Rajajinagar stations to configure & integrate the line’s traction, signalling and telecommunication systems. Following that, the underground section’s 3rd Rail system was charged up on March 28.
Pending section of the Green Line – view Bangalore Metro map & information
Here’s a video I shared on Twitter earlier today of a train rolling into the Majestic Station’s lowest level which houses the Green Line’s platforms:
This morning, BMRCL started testing #Bangalore‘s 4km Sampige Rd – Nat’l College section! Here’s a train rolling into the Majestic Station: pic.twitter.com/XTiMbm3UCo
— The Metro Rail Guy (@TheMetroRailGuy) March 31, 2017
With this development, the entire 12 km pending section of the 42.30 km Phase-1 project, between Sampige Road and Yelachenahalli, is now being tested. This figure includes the 8 km elevated Reach 4 & 4A, between National College & Yelachenahalli stations, on which the BMRCL commenced testing in November 2016.
The BMRCL held a media event at 4 pm to have the city’s Development Minister “officially” flag off testing from the KR Market Station. As per initial information coming in, one train left towards Chickpet Station while another left towards Majestic Station. Here are some images from the event:
One of KR Market Station’s entry/exit structures – Photo Copyright: GoK Updates
Photo Copyright: GoK Updates
Photo Copyright: Naveen Menezes
Photo Copyright: KJ George
Photo Copyright: GoK Updates
KR Market Station – Photo Copyright: GoK Updates
Photo Copyright: GoK Updates
Video:
More images and information on the testing schedule & subsequent opening will be added here later, so do check back.
Update: As per The Hindu, this is what the BMRCL has for public consumption:
BMRCL states that Low Speed Dynamic Tests will be conducted by April 14, multiple train tests and anti-collision tests by April 20 before going to the CMRS in the ‘last week of April’. BMRCL Managing Director Pradeep Singh Kharola sought to allay fears about completion of Chikpete station. According to BMRCL’s March newsletter, around 8% of the work on the roof remains. “We will complete this within 10 days,” he said.
BMRCL’s MD isn’t the most reliable or frank person out there, so the above dates should be taken lightly. Meanwhile, take a look at some images of Chickpet Station’s site which is far from becoming usable:
April is almost here. Here’s what the scene above #Bangalore Metro’s Chickpet Station on the Green Line looks like: pic.twitter.com/yjauBh7sqX
— The Metro Rail Guy (@TheMetroRailGuy) March 30, 2017
Recent images from inside the Majestic Station can be viewed here.
For more updates, check out the Bangalore section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
now that testing has commenced when do you think they might start commercial operations on this stretch…
Main question : Are both the tracks ready for train runs inside the tunnels ?
If I am not wrong, they have to cover 750 kms of testing before inviting CMRS for inspection. Assuming one month of trial runs and then one more month for inspection and preparation of commencement, can we hope for June opening with Chickpet station ? Can chickpet station be ready by June given its present condition ?
If June opening is possible, I believe its still pretty good work by them after tunneling finished in Sep 2016.
Mr. Hugar, are you from Karnataka, first read the article, understand what is written, having a pessimistic attitude will not take you anywhere. Yes there was delay but for valid reason beyond human capacity. Testing are done to ensure the safety, at the most it may take about a month at the latest. Bangalore will definitely have it’s 42km stretch of Metro by end of April
Mr/Ms Jaya K,
Please stop trying to cover up the gross incompetence shown by BMRCL, much like it’s elder sibling BBMP in providing livable conditions to the IT capital of the country.
Accepting ones’ mistake is the first and most important step towards correcting
Hmmm. He is actually realistic. If you take the amount of time testing and certification will take, may is the best case scenario and mostly June. And still there’s no way they can open chikpet and krmarket. That will mostly happen only end of the year
Actually, turns out my assumption was right. Only one track is ready inside the tunnels. The other track is yet to be provided power from third rail. In fact third rail is not yet installed from K R Market to Sampige Road on one track.
Hope that track also gets completed quickly.
BMRCL has taken more than year to open less than KM stretch of Malleshwaram to Majestic even after tunneling is complete . this shows incompetence of BMRCL do we need more examples of BMRCL slow work attitude
Yes, Awaiting it to open soon. Don know what BMRCL enginners performed so far.!
Agree with you. BMRCL has indeed done a commendable job in creating an excellent transit system for Bangalore’s future.Phase 1 is always challenging when one has to puzzle through but Phase 2 & Phase 3 will be much much faster as one sees in Delhi.
why are u so insecure. Are u part of the govt?
April is about to end!! Did we start the 42Km strech??
Testing is important part of the project and is always factored in the project schedule.
Optimism here is just wishful thinking!!
Pessimism i guess, comes from conditioning by past records of BMRCL!!!
Mr TMRG,
Want to understand the time taken for completion of this UG1 Stretch. 4 Kms 3 Stations.
I understand that construction for this stretch started in May 2011 if that is correct then by the time of commercial operation it will take around 6 years.
This comparison will give better idea of completion time for Mumbai Metro 3 project.
S. V. Phene
It is easier to drill and built tunnel in Great Himalyan mountain than buiding tunnels in namma Bengaluru 🙂
Wow! Superb catch. Indeed, BMRCL is complaining of rocky terrain here when a longest tunnel in Jammu is just opened (with more than 1000 metres of mountain on top).
How Dumb. There was no city over the tunnel built in Kashmir. Even if it had caved in a couple of times during construction it would not have been a catastrophe. The same could not be done in Bangalore where a city exists above.
BMRCL has done a commendable job in creating an excellent transit system for Bangalore’s future.
I did not read any mishaps where the mountain caved in a “couple of times” – that would have forever sealed the fate of the project. I’m sure most of UG tunnels in world for metros are built in crowded cities. Not to generalize, but even within Indian metros, Bangalore’s has worst track record.
“BMRCL has done a commendable job in creating an excellent transit system for Bangalore’s future.” Problem is it has been in the creating phase for too long (just for phase 1).
I appreciate the way things are moving forward a bit quickly now but phase-1 timelines and revisions have been horrible. And for the Phase-2 again the weakest link will be started last.
Boat load of crap. Metro has been functional and been constantly upgraded in cities way denser than Bangalore. BMRCL is nothing but a club of incompetent bunch of losers.
Hahaha! So true
It is not possible to commission the line and Chickpet station before June-July 2017, considering the past performance of the Contractors and BMRCL. We r on to monsoon in May June. it is highly impossible to achieve the target of even June July2017
Well, another good news for Namma Metro. I didn’t expect them to start even trial runs this soon. Now, a 2017 flag off for ph-1 can’t be ruled out. hopefully they can do it soon. BMRCL seems be slowly gaining a sense of urgency – don’t you think? Interesting.
Operations will start before 2018. Kharola is Slowrala!
Complete urgently use full to people pls
Start urgently it use full people
Partial disruption in metro services -April 4 and April 7
http://www.thehindu.com/todays-paper/tp-national/tp-karnataka/partial-disruption-in-metro-services/article17761016.ece
Open commercial operation urgently it helps people’s of Bangalorep
Yes, the govt is now pushing for it as next year is elections. They will use this as a election plus point on their rallies now 🙂
People should not get fooled by govt. Project has been delayed multiple times , Delhi completed phase 1& phase 2 in roughly 12+ years and BMRCL still struggling to complete phase1 in 12 years
you must understand the infrastructure wise difference b/w Delhi and Bangalore…Delhi is Metro and planned city for decades..Bangalore was just small state capital till mid 90’s…Due to IT it has now become kind of Metro city with number of people and vehicles…but roads remains same… here land acquisition is biggest challenge as roads r very narrow then the rocky surface of Bangalore big hindrance for UG…its easy to criticize dear… I am not a supporter of Congress … but giving u ground reality…
You are telling correct! Though few people already aware of ground reality they tend to ignore and blame everything!
all the reasons u have said are not related to Metro construction.
even phase 1 completed sections of Jaynagar to Kanakapura is not yet opened after 4 years and track and signalling is not Malleshwaram to Majestic where tunneling was completed 1 year back .
BMRCL has not been able to open even less than 1km section of malleshwaram to majestic
u mean to say construction of UG started without acquisition.
don’t bring in politics here. its sheer competence of BMRCL which has been exposed so many times .
why has metro taken 10 years to even decide best route for Airport .govt can approve the project when it has funds ready , but why does BMRCL take 10 years to decide airport route ,
Bangalore metro is slowest in india and worst managed during construction phase
what BMRCLis good is in giving excuses. This company is lead by incompetent people and that is the main problem. A city as important as bangalore deserves better governance and better administration. this company BMRCL is a dirty joke.
look, every city in india grows when there is a considerable boom. Mumbai, Kolkata, Delhi , Chennai etc, etc, . Mumbai was a fishing village before it became what it is. So, lets not defend the politicians. Like most of you, I have seen the transformation of Bangalore from 1999 to now. Unfortunately, we’ve 3 govts both BJP and Congress who just looted the public money without bringing any infrastructural changes.
The ground reality is people never took these seriously until now. I’m very happy steel flyover project is scrapped. I hope they open the north south section soon. And add some last mile connectivity options.
People these days are intelligent enough. They have faced the hardships and metro completion as election sop will not fetch even a single vote
BMRCL begins razing structures for metro to Whitefield
http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/bmrcl-begins-razing-structures-for-metro-to-whitefield/articleshow/57979827.cms?
We need someone like Adityanath in Karnataka, who can take bold decision and to next level.. These sleeping BMRCL, BBMP will not help bangalore true IT city.
Adithyanath is form Narendra Modi Team . So if People of Karnataka or any Indian
State wants a person like Adithyanath then they should Vote to
Narendra Modi Team which is BJP government .
The article says ‘BMRCL’s MD isn’t the most reliable or frank person out there, so the above dates should be taken lightly. Meanwhile, take a look at some images of Chickpet Station’s site which is far from becoming usable’.
This is the story of BMRCL which is a dirty joke to bangaloreans. If the MD had any self esteem he should have resigned long back and some competent person should have been put in his place. A demonstartion should be held infront of the BMRC office demanding immediate completion of phase 1. God only know how many deadlines they have missed. Really the MD is a shameless person.
BMRCL starts work on Hosur Road properties
——————————————-
http://bangaloremirror.indiatimes.com/bangalore/others/bmrcl-
starts-work-on-hosur-road-properties/articleshow/58055125.cms
Common Mobility Card is now a Smart City Idea for Bengaluru
————————————————————-
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/articleshow/58042456.cms?utm_source=contentofinterest&utm_medium=text&utm_campaign=cppst
People here make comments like as if Bmrcl is issuing all these bogus deadlines & repeatedly missing them when its crystal clear that unrealistic deadlines are being set by stupid politicians, as I have been pointing out from long.
I wish well informed people realize this & hope TMRG can highlight this fact rather than blaming Kharola, given that he is appointed by the state govt itself.
Secondly loose statements about incompetence, inefficiency, slowest, mismanaged etc are being splashed around without any proof or comparisons.
For example, has anyone considered how much i.e. how many kms Mumbai, Chennai, Hyderabad or Kolkata have added since they began construction? And how many years has it been since thay started building their metro systems ??? Dont be surprised but Bmrc is the one ahead of the others.
Delhi is being quoted as the only comparison for ‘high construction speed’, but then none want to admit that Dmrc has been highly priviliged in that they have had huge support from various ministries, MoUD, even central govt.
Unfortunately, no other city gets the same degree of support nor prompt release of funds. In fact, Dmrc as consultants had goofed up DPRs for both phases for Bmrc’s Namma Metro that caused huge delays as DPRs had to be redone entirely – few know these facts.
I’m not taking anything away from Sreedharan’s project execution skills that were exemplary, but fact is he also had heavy backing from all sides.
Bmrc does not have similar backing, unfortunately. In fact, they had many obstacles including a very rocky & hostile terrain to deal with. So, hope for the best rather than crib all the time !!!
BMRCL is worst managed metro in India . Sreedharan who led 2 successful projects in Konkan Railway & DMRC , his suggestions were ignored by BMRC . BMRC officials cannot shift blame on DMRC for DPR. Even in phase 2 UG tenders are last ones to be called so whom will you blame for delays of phase 2 contracting and land acquisitions work
Even after 10 years BMRCL has not finalized Airport Metro route, BMRCL acquired land on National Highway in Bellary road , but now changed it stance due to pressure of steel flyover . infact BMRCL now says there cannot link to cubbon Park or MG Road Metro Station even it was planned earlier
BMRCL changes it statement so many times and are incompetent.
Construction and Planning
Hyderbad has 72 KM phase 1 and 83 Km Phase2
Mumbai has 80Km phase 1 even after having best city rail network
Chennai has 52 Km Phase 1 and 123 KM Phase2
BMRCL has 42KM in phase1 and 72KM phase 2
By the time BMRCL completes phase 2 , all the other cities would have completed their phase 2 and will have more KMS of Metro than bangalore even though we started much earlier even in terms of planning BMRCL has been shoddy
BMRCL cannot even open Malleshwaram to majestic after 1 year of tunneling work completion. does it take 1 year to lay tracks and complete signalling for less than 1 KM .
National College to JP Nagar section is lying unused for last 3 years and Worst BMRCL has not completed station work in Chickpet and KR Market even after 0 years after starting construction shows how useless BMRCL officials are
Stop blindly defending BMRCL , its worst metro in construction phase in india
Correction : National College to JP Nagar section is lying unused for last 3 years and Worst BMRCL has not completed station work in Chickpet and KR Market even after 10 years after starting construction shows how useless BMRCL officials are
Lets cut off all the loose talk about worst managed, best managed & all the big future paper plans by various states /metro corporations & check the reality based on construction start & actual delivery per year.
Nobody says Sreedharan didn’t perform well – he did really well, but fact is he also had huge CG support (in fact heavy push) to complete the first two phases of Delhi metro in time for CW games. Anyway, lets compare Bangalore with its peer cities that are all not as fortunate as Delhi, the capital:
(Read as: City; Construction commenced; Period since; Operational km; Average delivery in km/year).
Bangalore – Apr, 2007 – 10Y, 0M – 30.3 km == 3.03 km /year
Chennai – Jun, 2009 – 7Y,10M – 19.9 km == 2.54 km /year
Mumbai – Feb, 2008 – 9Y, 2M – 11.4 km == 1.24 km /year
Hyderabad – Apr, 2012 – 5Y, 0M – 0.0 km == NA
Kolkata – 1984 (opened 1st line – 28.1 km == 0.87 km /year
Despite the huge delays & challenges, BMRC has delivered best & 2nd best only after Delhi. If these delays hadn’t occurred & CG had not prioritized DMRC’s work only for Delhi metro, BMRC might have delivered better. BMRC could have delivered somewhat faster at least if SG had assisted but at that time, unstable govts had not taken up issues strongly with railways, CG etc to prioritize BMRC’s work.
The UG tendering by BMRC for ph-2 has been delayed no doubt, but tenders cannot be issued without having proper & thorough DPRs & finalising availability of land that is necessary – & this is not easy as citizens will not give up land easily in any city. FYI – this is also the reason why Mumbai is way behind & stalled further construction until all land issues had been fully resolved & DPRs prepared based on land availability.
As previously discussed, airport metro is neither a priority nor is it up to BMRC to finalize the route. It is up to state govt to decide the route as also when. BMRC only follows govt diktats. If someone has to be questioned for airport metro, it is the state govt. State govt is also to be questioned as to why Bangalore does not yet have a commuter rail system. Part of the blame for this wrests with citizens since not enough have been demanding such a system from the beginning. So politicians have also not pursued it until now.
Likewise, metro completion deadlines are being dictated by politicians & BMRC keeps repeating them as they cannot go against SG’s diktats. So, deadlines have always been bogus & unreliable.
The 1 km line (Sampige rd to Majestic) cannot be started until the UG section has been completed because there isn’t a train reversing facility at Majestic & it makes no economic sense to have planned & built a reversing interchange line there just to start this small section in advance of the UG section, even if there were no land constraints.
Further, there isn’t a depot on reach-4 in the south & the TBM getting stuck had caused huge delay – reasons why Nat’l college-JPNagar section hasn’t been opened yet. So, stop repeating these things in every post.
And do not assume things like “other metros will have more metro km than BMRC later” etc. Wait for it to happen, if ever & comment only then. Avoid jumping the gun.
BMRC already has a head start now & metro rail constructions in other cities are not immune to financing & other local problems. How else does one explain the delay of three years (2009 to 2012) before Hyderabad metro began construction after cancelling initial tenders? Even now, they face land issues for ph-1. Also, why does Kolkata have less metro km than even Bangalore when their first line opened way back in 1984?
Finally, Bangalore’s vehicular population has grown too fast (it already is 2nd highest in the country) & this is posing huge problems for people. So, they tend to blame BMRC. IMO the SG has to be blamed for not pursuing a commuter rail system early on (since 1980s). Metro would have come along in due time when finances were made available, but a cheaper rail system was necessary much earlier (like in other cities). Rants from some people here would then have never been the way it is now.
Not sure what is loose talk , every know BMRCL had delayed the project deadlines and even their planning is very bad . so its not loose talk .
Not sure what extra support Delhi got apart from Project & Financial approval .
BMRCL started construction after these approvals . but even then planning was so bad that we took 11 years to complete phase 1 of 42 KM.
No other Metro has taken 11 years or will take 11 years to complete phase 1
Delhi completed phase 1 & 2 in 11 years
BMRCL is toally lazy and not able to manage the metro , hence phase 2 UG is delayed
Airport is a priority , Delhi, Chennai, Hyderabad have airport lines working/planned not sure why route cannot be finalized , let govt give project and financial approval later
So many people travel to airport and still BMRC has not even finalized the route forget completing the metro line
what did BMRCL think its a kid play to construct and open metro without any contingency plan , infact there is no plan in BMRCL
BMRCL director is incompetent why cannot he give his own deadline instead of agreeing to others .
for every thing BMRCL will give some reasons and u people support these lazy people
Railway & NHAIA construction has improved very well so over last few years while BMRCL is still going on very slowy . 11 years to complete 42 KM metro would be slowest in the world
Mr Shashidhar doesn’t have any answers to the comparisons of delivery by km per year of various metros posted here that clearly proves that Bmrc hasn’t done badly despite the delays.
So he keeps repeating his chants, avoiding “inconvenient truths” that he most conveniently prefers to ignore & keeps attempting to drill on & on with his bogus theories about how bad Bmrc is repeatedly by bringing in paper plans of longer network lengths of other cities in comparison to Bmrc.
Even here, he most conveniently ignores the additional network lengths of Bmrc like the airport line & the krpuram-silkboard line. Wish him luck in his hate campaign !!!
Sensible folks would see through these smoke screens if they detach themselves from wish lists & control their frustrations.
The late response to a mass transit with worsening traffic congestion in the city is actually due to govt apathy & inaction when traffic volumes had started multiplying (way back in the 1990s) & has nothing to do with slow metro construction progress & delivery being witnessed all across the country, including delhi post the first two phases when CG was assisting Dmrc heavily.
april news letter has come
Looks like entire north south stretch will be opened up soon and trains will skip the few incomplete stations.
http://m.deccanherald.com/articles.php?name=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.deccanherald.com%2Fcontent%2F605972%2Fsampige-road-rajajinagar-metro-shut.html
Shouldn’t a demonstration be organized in front of BMRC office demanding immediate commencement of operations for the north south metro. How many times the BMRC will miss the deadlines and how many false promises they will give. Unless public creates some pressure on these type inefficient people in charge of this project nothing will move. A city as important as bangalore deserves a better administration and better governance,
Sure, I would join a demo against state govt for issuing bogus deadlines & not pursuing rail-based solutions since the beginning instead of building more & more roads that get filled up within no time.
I am not running any hate campaign against BMRCL i am only commenting against shoddy planning and project delays , it seems u defend BMRCL no matter what !!! thats fine keep doing it
BMRC Airport route is not even finalised and not approved , till its finalised and approved its not included in approved length i hope u understand such basic information
Delhi Operational: 213 km | Under Construction: 136 km | Proposed: 105.93 km
Hyderbad has 72 KM phase 1 and 83 Km Phase2
Mumbai has 80Km phase 1 even after having best city rail network
Chennai has 52 Km Phase 1 and 123 KM Phase2
BMRCL has 42KM in phase1 and 72KM phase 2
Compared to all above 5 cities , Bangalore phase 1 and phase 2 are shortest length wise just comparing phase 1 and phase 2 length
sensible people are all saying BMRCL is shoddy and delaying their work very badly , expect for you i don’t see any one else supporting BMRCL in shoddy planning and execution
You are so easily ignoring BMRCL not been able to open short distance of majestic – malleshwaram even after 1 year of tunneling completion and National College & JP Nagar section unsed after 3 years after work completed
Considering how dense and grossly unplanned the city is, tunneling is always going to be risky.
Now even the line between bannerghata and shivajinagar will be majorly underground as there is simply no space above.
Wonder how bmrcl will pull it off, might be the engineering marvel of the century.
Mr Shashidhar – if not a hate campaign, you seem hell-bent on a smear campaign by deliberately being blind to facts that I have posted about average annual delivery comparisons since construction commencement where Bmrc stands next only to Delhi despite the huge delays.
Do not mislead readers here by claiming that Dmrc completed ph-1 & 2 in 11 years when they took 13 years, 8 years for ph-1 (1998-2006). Ph-2 completed in 2011 as there was great rush to finish it in time for CW Games. Since then, things have slowed down & they are also now well behind schedule.
Paper plans of other cities are irrelevant. And how are you so sure that all of the ph-2 lengths in other cities that do not yet have approval will definitely get approved & built? Are you privy to CG processes?
Though irrelevant, lets see where your theories about paper plans for various cities actually stand & see who needs to understand basics. Going by TMRG’s “quick snapshot”, here are further stats that debunk your claims:
Read as (O)perational + (U)nder construction + (A)pproved = (T)otal + (P)roposed = (G)rand Total.
Bangalore : (O)30.3 + (U)27.10 + (A)56.89 = (T)114.29 + (P)102 = 216.29 km
Hyderabad : (O) 0.0 + (U)72.16 + (A)0.00 = (T)72.16 + (P) 83 = 155.16 km
Chennai : (O)19.9 + (U)27.80 + (A)6.60 = (T)54.30 + (P)104 = 158.30 km
Kolkata : (O)28.14 + (U)63.39 + (A)32.48 = (T)124.01 + (P) 10 = 134.01 km
Mumbai : (O)11.4 + (U)68.60 + (A)55.82 = (T)135.82 + (P)38.5 = 174.32 km
Delhi/NCR : (O) 213 + (U)136.0 + (A)0.00 = (T)349.00 + (P)140 = 489.00 km
Bmrc has obtained approval for 114.29km (& also started construction of some reaches of ph-2) whilst Hyderabad & Chennai are yet to get approvals for their ph-2, let alone commencing construction. Yet you talk about their airport line/s & their ph-2s like as if only they have approvals whilst Bmrc doesn’t!
Three cities (Kolkata, Mumbai & Delhi) are much larger than Bangalore, Hyderabad or Chennai. Further, Delhi metro length includes entire NCR including lines in adjoining states (Noida-in UP, Gurgoan/Faridabad-in Haryana).
If (T)otals (O+U+A) are compared, Bangalore has much higher than Chennai & Hyderabad (as their ph-2s are still to be approved) & may continue to remain higher than them all the time as Bmrc is more likely to get approvals due to the absence of a commuter rail network. It will also overtake Kolkata because Kolkata has only another 10km proposed. If grand totals are compared, Bangalore stands second only to Delhi.
So, all your paper plan theories also fall by the wayside.
What is relevant is how much actually gets approved & gets built. There is no certainty of ph-2 in either Hyderabad or Chennai due to various reasons (L&T is already financially over-stretched & in dispute over delay & higher construction cost compensation with SG, political fallouts in Chennai, Land issues dogging Kolkata & Mumbai ph-2 etc). Also CG has tightened up norms for metro approvals by increasing EIRR (Economic internal rate of return). Thus, further metro approvals will effect all the cities.
Your repeated laments about “short distance” (Majestic-Malleswaram) & reach-4 (JPNagar-Nat’l college) have already been explained several times. You can keep repeating it in your smear campaign, but I go by logic & reasoning more than personal wishlists.
I’ll agree though that metro constructions all across the country have been too slow (barring only Delhi in the intial two phases for obvious reasons). I also wish they become faster, but I’m not going to simply latch on to Bmrc & keep blaming only them for delays in LA, funding, approvals etc that seem to be a nation-wide phenomenon that Bmrc cannot handle on their own (requires CG help). Under the circumstances, they have still done better than all others (barring Delhi ph-1/2) as already proven with average annual delivery.
You are running smear campaign against any who complains against BMRCL delays .
Delhi complete phase 1 of 65 KMS in 8 years and 125 KMS in 5 years , where BMRCL which started phase 1 of 42 KMS in 2007 ,still has not completed even after 10 years
BMRCL took twice the time for 1/3 lenght of Delhi Metro and yet u claim BMRCL project planning is not bad what more proof do we need
Dude don’t inlcude phase 3 and Airport figures for BMRCL which are not approved by even BMRCL and govt
For Mumbai, Hyderabad, Chennai , phase 1 has started and phase 2 is approved/approval stage , dont compare Bangalore phase 3 with phase 2 figures of other cities
even Delhi had Phase 1 of 65KM and 125 KM phase 2 , Bangalore has shortest length of phase 1 and phase 2 combined among major cities , KR Puram-silk Board & Airport Route are not yet approved still so don’t include them
Mumbai has best City Railway and still they have metro aggressively planned .
Why give all this excuse instead of admitting shoddy planning of BMRCL , even govt admit BMRCL delays . BMRCL is worst in india during construction phase
even Bangalore can includes BBMP area so stop raising silly issues about gurgaon and Noida
All said and done BMRCL is incapable to open even small stretch of 1KM after completion of tunnel construction , thats show how useless the management is
Dude, it is crystal clear as to who is the one adamantly trying to keep condemning BMRC here.
When irrefutable evidence was posted proving that BMRC, despite many delays had actually delivered better on average annually than all it’s peer cities, you again go back & try to compare BMRC with the lone privileged Delhi metro’s feat in ph-1/2 & continue insisting that BMRC should have been as fast, almost like a child who cannot understand things & keeps crying for his favourite toy.
Earlier, you claimed that DMRC finished both phases in 11 years. This was an exaggeration as actually, it had taken 13 years. Now there’s more evidence of your deliberate witch hunt.
Mumbai has delivered just 11.4km of metro in over 9 years & it’ll be several years before any new line is added since they have started their ph-2 construction only recently. This is even when their trains have been severely over-crowded with people travelling on rooftops, hanging from window rails etc, with over 3000 people dying each year in local train related accidents. Yet you claim that Mumbai has “aggressively planned” metro. Haha! Their ph-1 was a mere 11.4km, but no Mumbaikar spits venom the way you do against BMRC. Fyi, TMRG has himself stated that they had policy paralysis!
Going by your logic, it seems that BMRC has been far more “aggressive” by planning a 102km ph-3 in addition to obtaining approval & starting construction of a 72km ph-2 in parallel with it’s 42km ph-1, & adding the 19km SB-KRPuram as ph-2A that has already been approved by state cabinet.
Further, you say “KR Puram-silk Board & Airport Route are not yet approved still so don’t include them”.
How then are you so soft on other cities by stating “approved/approval stage” when they are still in the planning stages & not yet approved? Isn’t this argument just to keep condemning BMRC?
Please read up properly: Ph-2 for Chennai & Hyderabad are still in proposal stages. Don’t mislead readers here with some weird & obscure sounding “approved/approval stage”.
Bangalore has shorter lengths for ph-1/2 “combined among major cities”! So? Does it mean that BMRC’s network will never expand beyond two phases? Aren’t there plans for a 102km ph-3 similar to other metros that have planning for their 2nd phase?
Appreciate if you are objective in your comments instead of repeating your familiar condemnations in every post. The ground realities for infra development in India are very different from China or Europe or USA or even Delhi metro which has the backing & full support of Urban development ministry. BMRC cannot be expected to deliver similarly as Bangalore is neither the country’s capital nor did it have any central govt prioritised CWG games nor does it have the enormous CG push, funding & support. It is similar to perhaps Chennai or Hyderabad or Kolkata or Mumbai. So, compare only like for like, if you can ever understand.
Mr. Sham, thank you very much for providing an alternative perspective. As they say, the devil is in the detail and it is very easy for somebody who has little knowledge of the details to criticize.
I have seen Mr. Kharola’s CV. I feel he is very qualified to lead BMRC. Before making sweeping and personal statements about the MD, I would urge people to understand that being in the hot seat is not an easy job. Mr. Kharola has to keep a number of opposing interests happy in order to keep the project moving forward. I certainly do not envy his position.
Having said so, I believe it is very important for us citizens to keep abreast of the progress and apply pressure objectively so that BMRC is kept on its toes. This is where I appreciate Mr. Shashidhar’s enthusiasm and aggressiveness. However, my fear is that if one is not objective, one tends to lose credibility. One reason, I believe, why TMRG has such a dedicated following is that his objectivity lends a lot of credibility to what he says.
Best wishes…
Thanks Mr Krishna. The issue was that Mr Shashidhar has poor knowledge & no objectivity, but keeps ranting irrationally. This doesn’t help at all & I have been trying to open his eyes to realities but he seems quite obstinate & won’t accept any alternate views. Actually, this isn’t the first thread – earlier too, he had kept cursing about almost anything & everything & has been a very poor contributor IMO.
I fully agree that we citizens must follow up on infra development, particularly metro but that doesn’t mean we go about cursing & demeaning officials all the time for everything. Enthusiasm & aggression must not lead us down a path where we keep spitting only venom, however frustrating it might be.
I think U are posting lot of comments praising BMRCL and providing lot of statistics. Giving deadlines and missing them regularly leaves a poor impression of any person .
The point is that The article says ‘BMRCL’s MD isn’t the most reliable or frank person out there, so the above dates should be taken lightly. Meanwhile, take a look at some images of Chickpet Station’s site which is far from becoming usable:
I think that says it all. No need to discuss anything more.
Bangalore traffic is choking and this city deserves competent and “reliable” people in charge of important projects.
Where were the so called competent people who were supposed to overlook the growth of the city in a planned and phased manner ?
Building permits were handed out for commissions without even considering the lack of proper connectivity or public transportation. The so called planning engineers are long gone and what you see today is a result of their inept and corrupt practices.
Any city should begin by first laying grounds for proper public transport and connectivity before taking on major SEZ projects but the exact opposite of that took course.
Tech parks came up without any consideration of proper zoning or public transportation amenities and as influx of people started rising the need for a robust transportation system became quite evident.
Now as a last resort people are looking up to the metro for solving their woes which should have been at the forefront before so many tech parks came up.
The BMRC now have to make sense of the mess that the city has evolved into and try to build with what little land left while keeping everyone happy at the same time.
No other metro committee in the world would have faced such an arduous task.
As a commuter using the public transport in Bangalore, day in and day out for the past 3 decades, people like me are frustrated with the apathy of civic agencies, governments and bureaucrats. Comparing BMRCL with other metro bodies across the country, run by people who probably are equally incompetent or worse doesn’t prove a thing towards making them look better. My two cents.
Yup, very true, but the comparisons were made because there were comments slamming BMRC & claiming they were the worst which I thought were inaccurate & unfair.
The traffic mess is because the state govt has neglected rail systems from long back. BMRC cannot rectify the situation in a short time as some expect here – it takes much more than that as the neglect has been for several decades on end. Hence I don’t attribute blame to BMRC but SG.
Dude u don’t even understand basic stats and u give lecture to others.
U don’t even understand basic fact that the length of Phase 1 & Phase 2 of Bangalore is lowest as compared to Delhi, Hyderabad,Chennai,Mumbai
Only now is BMRCL trying to include to SilkBoard as Phase 2 , its still to be done & Airport route not sure whether it will be phase 2 or phase 3 .
Even a Kid will say why did BMRCL plan for such shorter length of phase 1 , which u are not able to understand and instead u blabber with useless stats .
Similarly for Phase 2 bangalore has lesser length as compared to Delhi,Hyderabad, Chennai , once KRPuram is included it may match only one of above city.
Bangalore Phase 3 is more Phase 2 , but so will be Phase 3 of all the other cities, u cannot compare our phase 3 length with phase 2 length of other cities .
U keep talking only about Mumbai metro is being slow, Mumbai has biggest City Railway in India, so Metro is not as much prio for Mumbai as its for Bangalore since it has very good mass transport system
U easily avoid why did BMRCL mess up section wise opening even after knowing Tunneling takes more time , Delhi did uplift coaches using crane and run the tests which bangalore could not do for Jaynagar- JP Nagar Section, BMRCL does shoddy planning even for delayed sections thats why they are incompetent .
What a silly excuse Bangalore is not capital of India so BMRCL cannot do better planning and open completed sections
Green Line to be ready for safety inspection by April-end – April 14, 2017
http://www.thehindu.com/news/cities/bangalore/green-line-to-be-ready-for-safety-inspection-by-april-end/article18023900.ece
High speed test started (75km tests)
——————————
Metro, 24 kms in just 45 minutes- NEWS9
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L2pnJsX3MJs
Will demonetization impact ORR metro project
————————————————————–
Hi TMRG
I am hearing that most of the builders are under very heavy pressure after demonetization. Many of them have given Saturday holiday to workers.The general perception is that real estate sales is very low.Large part of finance for the ORR metro project is to come from big builders.As builders are facing a slow down and money locked due to demonetization , ORR metro may get delayed by a few years.
Isn’t metro funded by the govt? The only financial help that metro gets is when they link a station to a mall. This boosts the footfall in such malls
Hi Hemanth
Some of the answers are in the below links.
About 1100 CR is expected to come from builders like RMZ Eco-space
and other of “Outer Ring Road Companies Association “. These are mainly builders to have given building in lease to ITES /BPO’s.
http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/innovative-funding-for-new-metro-lines/articleshow/56927510.cms
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/583746/bmrcl-fund-orr-project-through.html
Hemanth, spot on, but I agree with Partha B. The SG should be questioned about giving bogus deadlines and missing them regularly which irritates people & spoils BMRC’s image – SG shouldn’t keep announcing deadlines, but leave it entirely to BMRC.
U are one who keeps ranting against any one who complaints against BMRCL delays .
All cities who started later have planned for Airport while BMRCL is still finalizing airport route one more example of shoddy planning
Dude here knows u are BMRCL spokesperson who keeps defending every bad decision of BMRCL ,
People appreciate BMRCL when it does good work and complain when it delays and does shoddy planning unlike you who keeps defending all the times
Haha! Again ignorance /lack of knowledge. Dmrc had planned 33km ph-1 routes, not Bmrc. Bmrc was formed later & tasked to build this after GoK accepted ph-1 project preparation by Dmrc.
This was increased to 42.3km by Bmrc in 2008 with NS extensions. Whitefield /ORR had very less traffic then & started increasing only after 2011.
You seem to be arguing again over Ph-1/2 “lengths” because stats have shown delivery by Bmrc better than other peer cities. Chennai & Hyderabad’s ph-1 is far from completion & their ph-2s are still in planning. They haven’t yet made it through state govt, let alone CG. Mumbai has just only commenced ph-2 after a long wait even with a mere 11.4km ph-1 despite super-crush loads on its trains that account for 3000 lives each year. And you claim it has “very good mass transport system”. Kiddish of you to keep counting these “paper kilometers” by other cities instead of actual progress /delivery kms.
Delhi lifted coaches because they had a depot on the line. Bmrc’s request had been rejected by CMRS because there isn’t a depot /maintenance facility on reach-4. Read up & learn instead of counting paper kms. And as I said, BMTC buses are good enuf for airport for now. Metro will be too costly at this stage as they have to cover city first. Good luck!
why blame DMRC for BMRC planned length , what about phase 2 whom will blame that for and airport route not finalized again whom are you blaming that for ?
what you are telling is , BMRC has no mistakes in phase 1 and phase 2 , its all mistake of DMRC, Hard Rock tunneling, and Central govt and others . Good joke
Phase 1 and Phase 2 lengths of BMRCL is lesser than all bigger cities of india .
thats a fact
Phase 2 of bangalore for which even land acquisition is not complete as recent media reports is still not started construction in all sections , for all good reasons phase 2 is still approval stage since land acquisition is not yet complete
Mumbai has best mass transit systems .
Airport line is not required now, no one needs to be ‘blamed’. SG is to be appreciated for postponing this white elephant. “Delhi hi-speed airport rail” that cost a bomb of the tax-payers’ money was forced to be used like regular metro with low fares after its failure & losing tax-payers’ money heavily with poor loads. Bangaloreans don’t want such mistakes & same must never be repeated anywhere else.
You say Bangalore metro’s ph-2 isn’t approved because land acquisition is not yet complete? Haha! Good joke. Same can be said of Delhi’s ph-3, Mumbai’s ph-2 & also Kolkata – all of them have land issues still to be sorted out – so, all are “not approved”, going by your logic.
Chennai /Hyderabad can’t be spoken of because they haven’t started anything for their ph-2 yet but you claim some weird “approved /approval stage” for them !!!
Good luck with counting paper kms of ph-1/2/3 etc for all other cities !
And please read this informative article:
http://www.firstpost.com/india/when-money-for-other-states-is-given-to-delhi-it-resembles-the-imperial-seat-of-an-empire-2832392.html
Fyi – Hyderabad’s 1st phase is also “still approval stage since land acquisition is not yet complete” !!!
which insane person told Airport line is not req’d , Airport needs a mass transit transport , Bangalore Airport is 3rd most Used Airport in India.
Everyday so many travel to airport , All big cities in World have a mass transit , BMRC has no vision thats why we don’t have aiport route even finalised forget the implementing the project.
Yes Bangalore Phase 2 is same as nPhase 2 of other cities.
Delhi Phase 3 land acquisition is stuck for small section , majority of line is already under construction
Other cities started 4-5 years after bangalore and still their phase2 and our phase 2 are more or less at same state .
BMRCL delay was never because of funds , so stop raising such silly issues
Airport train is definitely not required any time soon. Excellent volvo buses are running & is sufficient for now. SG has been sensible in this regard. They seem to have learnt from the costly mistake that was the “Delhi hi-speed airport express” fiasco. Bangalore airport handles a third of the traffic of Delhi & there isn’t enough development on the route for a metro line yet. Those that ask for airport line like as if its some great priority will be disappointed, but its because of their own ignorance.
“Other cities started 4-5 years after bangalore ”
— more exaggerations to mislead readers! See commencement dates quoted below:
Bangalore – Apr, 2007 (10Y, 0M);
Mumbai – Feb, 2008 (9Y, 2M);
Kolkata – Mar, 2009 (8Y, 1M);
Chennai – Jun, 2009 (7Y,10M);
Hyderabad – Apr, 2012 (5Y, 0M).
All started their ph-1 in about 2 years time after Bangalore, Mumbai was within 1 year. Only exception is Hyderabad but they lost 3 years due to Maytas real estate fiasco & are hence far behind in completing even ph-1 (no line opened yet).
“Their phase2 and our phase 2 are more or less at same state”
— Only Mumbai & Kolkata seem to have progressed to some extent with their ph-2 but Mumbai built only 11.4km in ph-1 & Kolkata completed ph-1 in 1984. However, Bangalore is still ahead as tenders are out for all elevated sections. Only UG section is now pending.
Chennai & Hyderabad are far behind & still long from completing their ph-1. They haven’t started anything yet for their ph-2.
So, this is a yet another exaggeration /falsehood just to divert attention & continue smearing BMRC.
Good luck with counting paper kms of ph-1/2/3 etc for all other cities !
https://swarajyamag.com/ideas/india-has-nearly-as-many-vehicles-as-households-bus-karo-india-cannot-be-car-country-like-us
Excerpt: “They forget that Delhi is unique, where the central government deals with land and substantially bankrolls a high-cost metro. This situation does not exist in other states, whose metropolitan centres need to obtain substantial commercial funds for both land acquisition and construction in congested spaces.”
BUT THE FACT REMAINS, BANGALORE METRO IS DELAYED BY YEARS AND DECADES. I HOPE BANGALORE METRO COMPLETES BEFORE IT SECTOR FALLS.
THEY MAY NOT BE ANY PEOPLE TO RIDE WHEN METRO COMPLETES LOL..
True, GoK should have built a mass transit system decades ago, or at least a commuter rail system.
IT sector is not the only one that uses metro, majority users are others. So, please stop such doomsday talk.
adsf
adsf ???
Hi TMRG
No Updates for this month…
Hi All
Please check the book “KARMAYOGI -A Biography of E. Sreedharan”.
The chapter “Ten Commandments” tells project management skills needed to finish projects on time.
The major commuters in Bangalore city today is the IT crowd. The metro of 2017 does not connect to even one major tech park , it does not connect to electronic city or itpl or egl or manyata or marathalli or the Orr tech parks . The current metro is for shopping mall , brigade road , IPL cricket match and movies. IT companies will be connected only after phase 2 that clearly shows tech parks was not priority 1.
Each metro station should have had atleast 500 car parking spaces either in basement or some other floor . Even major station like baiyapanahalli has about 50 car parking space and always full. Providing car parking space would encourage people to use metro for the longer commute and their car to and from home to metro. BMTC metro feeder is a joke and auto guys outside metro were asking 120₹ for 2.5 km.
Majority of pyblic transport (bmtc)users in bengalore are from non IT sectors — govt employees, garment factory workers & those employed in small scale factories. None of them stay in IT corridor. Yes, i agree, majority of income tax payers are in IT corridor.
Which garment factories are present in phase 1 , most of them are near electronic city area. How many buses especially 500 series ply on Orr .They are mostly catering to IT crowd . So many Volvo’s start from ITPL. IT guys staying far would gladly use a public transport given there is a clean , decent option. Ask any IT guy who travels more than 1 hour in traffic and you can see the frustration. For whatever reason which I don’t know the labour class is not taking much metro . Look at buses around Ulsoor , Shivajinagar . Most of them are still filled up even if there is an alternate.
“The major commuters in Bangalore city today is the IT crowd”
This seems like a wishful assumption. Any proof or stats to validate this statement? Routes for metro lines are determined by traffic studies & studies indicated that city centres needed lines first. Major commuters to IT parks are in private vehicles. Roads are wider in outlying areas where IT parks have sprung up because of better road infra than in central areas. Also, AC buses are provided for those that choose to use it.
“Each metro station should have had at least 500 car parking spaces”
Again wishful thinking. Parking should be provided at terminal or peripheral stations, not in CBDs where land is prohibitively expensive. This is the case with almost every metro-rail across the world.
And providing multi-level /500-car parking slots even in peripheral areas may never be possible due to land constraints & costs. People can use shared taxis or buses for last mile. No public transport can ever cater to every person’s door-to-door requirement in any city.
I can only laugh at your confidence. Baiyapanahalli metro station has 14 acres of land in its disposal . The old satellite bus stop there is removed and all land is now owned by bmrcl. If you have not been to that station let me educate you with the reality . There is only 50 car parking space available. This bayapnalli is like the nearest metro station to the entire Whitefield , mahadevapura areas .The entire 14 acre land is empty and cars are parked for almost a km on both sides of road choking up traffic . There is a foodworld within the metro C exit so imagine the space they have for everything other than car parking.people in the IT parks near mahadevapura who travel to western araes have to change 2 buses to reach this station as no bus on outer ring road travels to old Madras road . A bus switch is required at tin factory. 2 buses to travel 4 km to reach the metro station.
I travel 20 km from east to south Bangalore everyday . You compare the traffic when schools have hoilday like April & may with something that govt and banks have hoilday like a Jew jayantis to something when most IT companies have hoilday like annual shutdown last week of December. You will notice that IT cobtributes to the majority traffic . You don’t need a rocket scientist to tell you that .And it’s just your assumption that IT employees are happily travelling in private cab . Time is time and I have traveled on that can for 4 yrs. Everyone is frustrated with the time and jams and will happily switch if there is a alternate.
You say CBD had high traffic to avoid which you say metro has been planned and you also say parking can’t be provided .. you are negating your own point here ..In many countries people travel from suburb to the nearest subway by their cars and take subways within CBD to get to work and back , finally take cars back to home.
reading at the way you are commenting I feel you don’t travel in metro or on road much and lack the practical problems.
I don’t let frustrations do the talking for me as you & a few others do here. Agreed commuting by public transport is inconvenient as of now. In its present form, Baiyyappanahalli might seem like a peripheral station but the line is going to be extended to cover Whitefield up to Kadugodi where more parking may be provided. If I understand correctly, vacant land at Baiyyappanahalli has already been ear-marked for alternate use & might become a bus terminal on PPP basis with some additional parking, also for commercial use as it is close to city centre. Besides, railways are planning expansion to make Baiyyappanahalli a coaching terminal.
IT folks contribute some percentage to metro traffic no doubt but huge loads of people get on/off at Majestic, Cauvery bhavan, Cubbon park, Vidhana soudha & MG road suggesting that maximum commuters work around that area & there are no IT parks anywhere there. Besides, trains run full even during weekends when most offices are shut. How then are you claiming that metro’s commuters are majority IT folks?
Your case may be an odd one but feeder buses are being run by BMTC to ITPL side (they had also started volvos) but when patronization is so poor, how can they be expected to continue running buses at high frequency?
I think the situation will improve once the entire ph-1 is completed as there may be lot more people using metro to IT parks in whitefield & feeder bus frequencies will have to be increased – this might help you avoid bus transfers.
This comment of yous makes lot more sense than the previous one !
Imo metro should try to reduce the single driven cars on roads .today most of those single driven cars are IT folks in non CBD areas. Metro should not just be an alternate to today’s BMTC . If metro becomes alternate to bmtc then the traffic density won’t go down .
Coming back to parking space. Not Proving parking space in metro is still a blunder . The malls smaller than metro station in same areas have ample parking even in CBD . Even BMTC has woken up and creating bus stops with multi level parking but you my friend have a different view on it. Unless you don’t provide seamless end to end connectivity the single car density won’t reduce. I have spoken and met people who travel by car from home to office single while the route has an empty Volvo running. The reply I get is that the nearest bus stop on Orr is 2 km away and it’s sometimes not safe to walk 2km at evening/late evening. So to avoid this 2km he/she won’t mind driving 10km each side. Trust me he/she doesn’t enjoy that ride in jam either. Cars was luxury a few years back . It’s slowly becoming a necessity now.dubai airport has the world’s biggest parking lot.
Dubai has the biggest parking lot because they have ample amount of unused land. That is not the case with Bangalore here every square inch of land is occupied and acquiring land for stations itself is a hassle then how can they acquire for parking. Multilevel parking is extremely costly and still land availability is the first requirement.
Take the case of yelachenahalli station they have barely managed to get land for the station and electricity substation and maybe a little bit of parking for two wheelers.
While your case hold true for cities which are less concretized where planning can be done beforehand that is not the case with Bangalore. Bmrcl has to work with tiny portions of land.
People don’t like give up their hard earned property. Would you do it if bmrcl came knocking on your door?
I agree that creating parking space in CBD is very expensive and not practical.
“No public transport can ever cater to every person’s door-to-door requirement in any city.”
I would like to disagree here. In peripheral areas large parking lots are possible. These are in fact are a norm (at least in Paris). Not at every metro station, of course. But one large parking lot every 3-4 stations is feasible and required as well.
Another point regarding last mile connectivity is, most of us do not expect door-to-door. But, for a person willing to walk 500m-1KM, there should be some for of public transport accessible. Again, I would quote Paris in this case – whether it be outskirts or the city for a willing person there will be a public transport option (Metro/RER, Tram, Bus). And one needs a single pass to access any of these modes.
Of course, we’ve started quite late and it will take time – let us say another 50-100 years. But if we keep saying it is not possible then it will never be. If parking infra is developed now in peripheral areas in 10 years time more people will use public transport (and if they wait for another 10 years then even those areas will become prohibitively expensive).
I agree that every city must have public transport within walk distance from every point – this would be the long-term goal no doubt.
But the demand being raised was for car parking lots at every station for 500 cars to enable using metro in conjunction with cars for door-to-door options (without any walk component). This is impossible in any city as huge parking lots at every station are required.
Agreed, that it is not at all feasible to do this for every Metro station in CBD. To be frank, parking facilities in most of Bengaluru (particularly in core areas) is pathetic/non-existent.
Irrespective of Metro, the government can plan 2-3 large MLPLs. These will generate good revenue and in a few years. Other alternative is PPP or making parking facilities a viable business for private sector to enter.
If planned strategically, these will go a long way in usage of various forms of Public transport and also increase carraigeway on these busy roads.
Whatever the economic or other considderations, these are needed. Pollution, congestion etc are everyone’s problem (not just people’s or governments alone).
Apart from poor planning and missing deadlines many times there are also some Infrastructure things whcih BMRCL and bangalore should be proud of.
1. Poor Access to Metro Stations. No Subways, FootOver Bridges to reach metro stations from other side of the roads. E.g Byapanahalli Metro Station(No Footover Bridge for accessing metro from Gopalan Mall road side) , One has to come out of the metro station in Mejestic to go to railway station which is also in Majestic.
Lives lost due to such poor metro Planning.
http://www.deccanherald.com/content/607916/lack-safe-access-metro-station.html
2. Parking space in metro stations. Almost no stations have any sort of adequate parking facilities. Who would like to come in vehicles and not find a parking slot to use metro stations.
3. No last mile connectivity. People have to shell out more than 100 or even 200 to reach final destination after coming out of metro even for distances less than 2 Kms and that too they have to Depend on Ola, Uber or Overpriced Auto Wallas. Delhi , Mumbai, Kolkata or Chennai all have a good last mile connectivity and bangalore is no where around.
It is for these reasons , people shy away from using metro even to the destinations where metro is available just due to Parking at metro stations and last mile connectivity and instead rely on personal vehicles. That is the reason Even with 2.5 Crore Population in mumbai it has only 25 Lakh Pvt Vehicles( Four and two Wheelers) and Bangalore with only 1 Crore Population has 65 Lakh Plus of Pvt vehicles( Four and two wheelers).
For bangalore to have a metro system like Delhi it would take around 18+ years with the kind of progress they have shown in completing metro Phase 1 , 2 ( Estimated Completion 2020 , Actual will be somewhere Around 2027) and Phase 3 will only start after that…so estimating 2035 :D)
Nightmare for Commuters in Bangalore.
@TMRG, what’s the current status of Green Line? Can we expect the commercial operations at least by next month?
As per this report ‘BMRCL’s MD isn’t the most reliable or frank person out there, so the above dates should be taken lightly.’.
So, i would not be surprised if it takes another 3-4 months to start the operations.
There is no public pressure , no protest against this inordinate delay. So BMRCL can take their own sweet time to start the operations some day..:-))
ha ha ha
Metro Suspense may End by May-end
http://epaperbeta.timesofindia.com/Article.aspx?eid=31815&articlexml=Metro-Suspense-may-End-by-May-end-09052017002037