BMRCL Invites Geotechnical Bids for Nagawara – Airport Line
The roughly 28 km Nagawara – Kempegowda International Airport (KIAL) metro line that was envisioned to be built in Phase 3 just got a small but significant push in late June with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRCL) inviting bids for two survey & investigation related contracts. This mostly elevated line’s development has now been allocated to a new Phase 2B and is planned to be an extension of the 21.43 km Gottigere – Nagawara line for which civil bidding is currently in progress.
Bids have been invited for:
• BMRCL/ 2017/ Geo Technical Investigation /Nagawara-KIA/25
Proposed Geotechnical investigation of Nagawara to Kempegowda International Airport line of Bangalore Metro Rail Project
Estimated Cost – Rs. 15.27 Lakhs
Bid Submission Deadline – 15.07.2017
• BMRCL/ 2017/ DGPS, Topographic, Land & Property Survey /Nagawara-KIA/24
Proposed DGPS, Topographic, Land & Property Survey, from Nagawara to Kempegowda International Airport line of Bangalore Metro Rail
Project
Estimated Cost – Rs. 24.42 Lakhs
Bid Submission Deadline – 15.07.2017
Here’s a rough alignment of the line – see more details and comments here
Alignment of Bangalore Metro’s link to Kempegowda International Airport
The line’s route to KIAL via RK Hegde Nagar, Jakkur and Yelahanka was finalized by the BMRCL in May 2017 and their in-house team has started to prepare its Detailed Project Report (DPR) which will include details on its cost, length, stations, maintenance depot, signalling system, train operation plan, traffic forecast, alignment type (elevated/underground/at-grade) for different sections, land acquisition, funding scenarios and any possible future extensions.
The DPR along with the data captured through these investigative contracts will help the BMRCL present a detailed report to the Karnataka Government’s cabinet for their approval and will later be made available to prospective bidders during the civil bidding stage. If the speed of the city’s 17 km Outer Ring Road (ORR) line’s DPR is anything to go by, then it could be ready in the next few months.
The line’s funding pattern is yet to be chalked out with the Karnataka government hoping to partially utilize central government funds. At this time, the BMRCL hasn’t announced whether they’ll go down the ‘innovative financing model’ route utilized for the 17 km ORR line or engage an external foreign lender to finance the rest of the project, so there’s still a couple years to go before any sort of ground work begins.
For more updates, check out the Bangalore section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
The airport station should be financed and maintained by the airport authorities. This will allow for a seamless connectivity between kia and the metro.
There’s a good chance that’ll happen, as witnessed in Delhi and Mumbai. But the operator won’t pitch in their own money. They’ll add a surcharge to the flight ticket and have passengers fund it for a certain number of years – see this post on Mumbai’s Airport station
Will their be any tunnel sections at the Jakkur aerodrome and IAF,Yelahanka like Channai metro near runway goes under tunnel.
This is all elevated line. No underground section on this. BMRCL planning for this to be ready by 2023 when underground section of Nagwara line will also be ready.
If BMRCL achieve this, it will be thing to applaud.
Certainly a huge push coming from Central and State government to make these projects ready ASAP.
How are you so certain that it will be “all elevated”? At the very least, there has to be an underground section at the airport. I have a feeling that some part of it may be on surface & just above, like when passing Jakkur & Yelahanka aerodromes.
Innovative financing may not happen for this route as there are few corporates on the road unlike ORR-east & Hosur road.
Madhu – we’ll have to wait for the DPR to find out the underground sections. The airport section will definitely be underground, but it remains to be seen what they will do at Jakkur Aerodrome and the IAF’s Yelahanka AFS. Perhaps small shallow cut and cover sections like in Chennai (see pics) ? Let’s wait and see…
Cut and cover would be lovely. This would lead to no objections from Jakur and Yelahanka and the work can be carried out faster.
/bmrcl-invites-geotechnical-bids-for-nagawara-airport-line/. I strongly feel that our honourable cm and bmrcl should rethink on the route which is a extention of gottigere nagawara line. Instead they should think of the extention of green line which connects majestic and railway station with pink line. In fact making it practical of connecting main ksrtc.bus stand. Railway station and airport even by deviating at yeswantpur.or taking right at bmic nelamangala yellanka so or a separate line with hebbal and majestic .maybe there might be technical difficulties but still I may be possible.there is always a scope to read rethink. And it should also be further extended to till devanahalli town I feel
.but connecting k g main bus stand railway station with one line is very important I feel so strongly.hope bmrcl and cm take note.and there s a problem of metro cutting through jakkur airbase also. And hebbal also should be made transport hub with bus and metro.probably at a place in bmtc depot.proper planning is very important
When BMRC had sought public opinion, the overwhelming majority favored extension to airport of the Nagawara line. So, public also favors this route to airport.
Further, there isn’t any great benefit if the route were direct from bus station or railway station as people can anyway use metro to get to airport by transferring lines easily.
Anyway, its too late to voice these opinions now.
Hi TMRG,
Can I pls know what is your thoughts on opening of Biappanahalli to Whitefield metro ?
As construction has started, I will guess it will open in next 4-5 years, Basically sometimes in 2022.
Hi TMRG,
Did not see any updates on this:
Two metro stations planned at Airport
http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/2017/sep/27/two-metro-stations-planned-at-airport-1663355–1.html
Waiting for BMRCL to reveal that line’s DPR. I prefer basing my pieces on official reports, than on media articles which could sometimes contain incorrect or speculative info.