Soma Begins Launching Segments for Bangalore Metro’s Reach 2B
Last week, Soma Enterprise Ltd. commissioned their 1st launching gantry south of RV College of Engineering in Pattanagere for building the viaduct of Bangalore Metro Purple Line’s 8.814 km western extension to Challeghatta on Mysore Road. The 1st segment was launched at Pier-572, and this feat was accomplished by Soma 13 months after they won a Rs 332.93 crore contract to build the 4.869 km Reach 2B package of the Bangalore Metro’s 72 km Phase 2 project between Pattanagere and Challegata.
Overall, this is the 3rd package of the metro’s Phase 2 project, after Reach 4B (Yelachenahalli – Anjanapura Township) and Reach 2A (Mysore Road – Pattanagere), where segment launching work has started. In January 2017, Soma cast their first pier at this very site and also began conducting test segment launches inside their casting yard at Kanminike.
The western extension of the line is being built in 2 parts by IL&FS (Reach 2A) and Soma Enterprise (Reach 2B), and consists of 7 new stations at Nayandahalli, Rajarajeshwari Nagar, Bangalore University, Pattanagere, Mailasandra, Kengeri and Chellagatta (recently added):
Map of Mysore Road – Challegatta extension – view Bangalore Metro Phase 2 map & info
With this development, the Purple Line’s western extension now has 3 launching gantries building it with IL&FS’ LG-1 building south from Nayandahalli towards Rajarajeshwari Nagar, LG-2 building north from Pattanagere towards Bangalore University, and Soma’s LG-1 building south from Pattanagere towards Mailasandra.
Some images of Soma’s blue-colored double-girder launching gantry#1 in action:
Puja before launch – Photo Copyright: Ramesh Rao
1st segment
2nd one going up!
Atop of the 2nd segment
View from the LG looking south to Mailasandra
1st span nearing completion
The under construction Pattanagere Station can be seen in the above image. A nice video showing the Mailasandra Station’s site can be viewed here.
Each segment weighs 40 tons and typically 10-12 segments are required to build one span between two adjacent piers. As per BMRCL’s April newsletter, Soma had completed casting 205 segments at their yard by the end of March 2017.
Here’s my go-to video to demonstrate how a Launching Gantry works its magic with precast segments to build modern segmental viaducts and bridges:
Meanwhile, NCC is in the process of setting up their 3rd launching gantry in front of the Nandi Toyota dealership on Kanakapura Road for building the Green Line’s 6.29 km southern extension (Yelachenahalli to Anjanapura Township) – see some images here. Watch out for a similar post when it starts to launch segments.
For more updates, check out the Bangalore section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
For the 3 packages in R4 and R2 extensions, how are they progressing in terms of time? Do they look on par with other packages elsewhere in thecountry ? Do you think these extension lines be on track?
Progress is fine – nothing too stellar or to be concerned about. Both extensions are expected to open in time for the 2020 deadline.
By the way, I believe some time back you mentioned about the Purple & Green lines requiring additional rolling stock? Yes, that’s correct. Both the Challegata & Whitefield extensions will more than double the Purple Line’s length in Phase 2, and additional trains will be required when they open up to maintain the same frequency. I’ll post whenever BMRCL invites bids for it.
The civil work is progressing well. The problem is that the rakes will not be avaliable till the middle of 2019. Even if they complete the work, they will not be operational.
Hi TMRG,
are any details available on where will be the stations in Gottigere – swagath road stretch, especially I want to know the Gottigere station exact location?
Hi, unlike the Whitefield or Bommasandra lines, the BMRCL has not revealed this line’s alignment and station locations. From what I know, the station is supposed to come up close to Mount St Joseph but that may or may not be true.
Hi TMRG, the station shown in the video is Mailasandra station, not Kengeri. Also, what are those 3 huge circular structures behind the station seen in the video ?
Ya, It is the mailasandra station next to BMTC bus stand. I am not sure where the kengeri station will be (may be near the satellite town junction?). On the circular structures, given the nala behind, i suspect it is the water purification structures found elsewhere along the nala (like behind dry ice factory near rajarajeshwari arch)
You’re right! I’ve corrected it now – thanks.
Pod taxis for Bengaluru could be reality soon
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http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/industry/transportation/next-time-you-are-in-bengaluru-take-a-pod-taxi/the-proposal/slideshow/58590644.cms
Hi TMRG
Have you seen any such system actually working in any part of world.
I checked and found few in UK airport and Masdar city .They are running in ground and nothing is elevated . The number of 15k people an hour seams to be next to impossible.
This seams to be new form of rope way . Only possible benefit is that all work will be done in factory and only assembling needs to be done in ground.They say that only 6-8 months needed to have such a system.
I don’t see any benefit at all – This might work in small set ups, like theme parks or within electronics city, but not in urban India’s arterial roads which require a high capacity system.
NHAI under Nithin Gadkari plans to build this in Gurgaon. First of all, I’m not sure why NHAI is getting involved in public transport and secondly, I don’t see how such a low capacity system can “solve” (as ministers love to say) traffic problems. Such a waste of funds makes me cringe.
Absolutely. This just shows how stupid authorities can be in making decisions using crores of taxpayers money. Can’t really understand why the state govt. can’t strengthen the bus system in Bangalore which really needs some serious knocking on its head to pull up its socks. BMTC has been so shoddy of late that there is no vision and it doesn’t seem to do anything innovative to rake in additional moolah and be supplementary to the metro.
There are definite benefits – kickbacks!
Govt finalises KIA metro link route- May 13 2017
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http://www.deccanherald.com/content/611271/govt-finalises-kia-metro-link.html
No decision yet on Metro route to Kempegowda International Airport -May 14, 2017
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http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bengaluru/no-decision-yet-on-metro-route-to-kempegowda-international-airport/articleshow/58665636.cms
Has the marking for challagatta station and depot complete? If they can place the barricades around station and depot, we will know where exactly it is coming. Thanks
When it’s going to run (opening) from Mysore road to kengeri or rv college of engineering.?? Because it takes long to to reach rv college because of bmrcl construction
When it’s going to run (opening) from Mysore road to kengeri or rv college of engineering.?? Because it takes long time to reach rv college because of bmrcl construction
What is the location of challagatta station , is it near to RR medical college?