BMRCL Relocates Silkboard Station of Bangalore Metro’s ORR Line-5
Per a report in the Bangalore Mirror, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation has relocated the upcoming Central Silkboard Station of Phase 2A’s 18.236 km Outer Ring Road line (Line-5 / Blue Line) from its original location, west of Hosur Road, to 300 meters east in HSR Layout.
This change in its location, originally finalized in 2017, will lead to an increase in train-interchange time, and overall commute time, for riders looking to travel and utilize Line-5 and the 19.14 km Line-3 (Yellow Line) that will connect RV Road with Bommasandra.
BMRCL’s MD Ajay Seth identified difficulty in acquiring land as the main driver –
We had to change the design keeping in mind the operational difficulties. The original design required use to acquire large scale land parcels and that was not possible in the traffic-heavy junction.
As part of the design change, BMRCL now plans to build a foot overbridge (FOB) with travelators, like at airports, over Hosur Road to connect the concourse levels of both lines. This will also serve pedestrians on Hosur Road looking to cross over.
300 meters to interchange isn’t ideal (Delhi’s Kalkaji Stations’ boxes are 250m apart) but the installation of travelators will definitely help alleviate some of the pain. If they throw in some funky art-work or lighting like this at Chicago’s ORD Airport, then that can possibly turn it into a pleasant experience.
Now here’s some food for thought. Planning and execution aren’t BMRCL’s forte. In fact generating non-fare box revenue isn’t either. But if they plan and position the Silkboard Station a certain way, then that will unlock and free up Line-5 to possibly be routed in the future northward onto Hosur Road, run on a westward course and intersect with the other lines to form a circle through a combination of underground tunnels and elevated viaducts.
For example, it could intersect Line-4 (Pink Line) at Dairy Circle, Line-2 (Green Line) at Southend Circle, Line-1 (Purple Line) at Mysore Road, Line-2 (Green Line) at Yeshwanthpur Industry (Goraguntepalya) and then terminate at Hebbal which will be connected by this line as part of the 38 km airport extension of Phase 2B. A similar circle, with a tangential spoke, will be completed by Delhi Metro’s Pink Line in the Phase 4 project.
The possibilities are endless, but it all depends on how the viaduct immeadiately west of Line-5’s station for train-reversals is planned, if at all, and designed.
Feb 13 Update: So that little plan of mine can never be executed. Per the line’s design, extracted from the tender docs linked by Selvav in the comments section, Line-5’s station will literally be built adjacent to the Silkboard Flyover and its viaduct will cross over it to end up on the west side near Line-3’s station. The design schematic doesn’t indicate elevation changes, so it’ll be interesting to see if the viaduct descends gradually or not. The optimistic part of me hopes it does – for a future ramp leading to an underground extension of the line. Only time will tell.
For more updates, check out the Bangalore section of The Metro Rail Guy!
– TMRG
Thanks TMRG, for what I believe is your first post on Bengaluru’s Namma Metro in this phase of your posts.Look forward to see more.
Meanwhile, as you may be aware, the Line to Airport (from Silk Board Junction) is not yet approved.
The sad part of this line will be that it will run near and almost parallel to the proposed Suburban Train Corridor line from Yelahanka to Ariport Terminal. I believe the Railway service will happen first. Namma Matro Line along this route will become almost redundant.
It will be better if Metro line takes a turn at Nagawara towards Airport, covering new areas, without going anywhere near the NH (Devanahalli Road), going directly to the Terminal, via RK Hegde Nagar and straight ahead via Bagalur (avoiding any gas Pipeline). This will make the service reach more people, help in truly reducing traffic congestion and pollution, and also make it cheaper and faster to build Metro to Airport. Even the journey time to Airport will reduce significantly.
I hope bmrc’s management reads this.
Knowing how they operate I’m confident there will be no design positioning for the future.
Your proposal reminds me of how Delhi metro blue line and Noida aqua line’s new extension will meet and take off at 90 degree angles in sector 51. If anyone is interested…
https://themetrorailguy.com/2020/01/28/noida-metro-invites-ddc-bids-for-extn-to-gr-noida-sector-2/
Thank you TMRG, Could you please share the recently released station alignments of phase 2A, More interested on how the KR puram interchange station is planned. below Tweet images are not very clear to understand the alignment.
https://twitter.com/NPKLOpenForum/status/1226888609656999936?s=20
“Planning and execution aren’t BMRCL’s forte. In fact generating non-fare box revenue isn’t either.”
TMRG – I may agree that planning & execution has been tardy but generating insufficient non-fare box revenue is because BBMP has denied permission for ads on viaduct pillars & other metro structures. This has caused severe loss to BMRC’s non-fare revenues after installing ad banner place holders.
Wish you give the full & correct picture, else your posts appear biased & one-sided.
I heard about the rumours that there will also be metro from magadi road metro station to seegehalli( in magadi main road,it comes while going to Tavarekere)
is this a rumour or will it be a reality
This change gives provides some hope for a future circular line. This is the only shot we’ve got. All major cities have one in some form or the other to decentralize the network. I think Beijing has 2 or 3?
Two circle lines. line 2 forms inner ring and line 10 the outer ring.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Beijing_Subway
There should definitely be a metro line passing through internal ring road. Come on! the metro has to first fully connect to inner city areas
Rajaji nagar-chord road – chamrajpet – srinagar – wilson garden – adugodi – kormangala – domlur – indiranagar
Can the new Metro station coming up at Central silkboard for the line 5 accomodate bus terminal at the ground level so that hapazard parking of BMTC buses in the service road can be avoided. This the BMRCL can discuss with BMTC
There’s a separate bus bay coming up for the buses at the junction on the Ksrp land.
Hi – Is there a plan published for the road flyovers being constructed over silk board as part of the metro? Specifically interested to see whether there is a ramp from BTM side towards koramangala; or whether the ramps are only limited to towards HSR & Electronics city, per the pictures I found.