J Kumar Begins Piling Work for Bangalore Metro Airport Line’s Depot

J Kumar Infraprojects – AIC Infrastructures JV this weekend bored and concreted the first pile for Bangalore Metro Blue Line’s Airport Depot at Doddajala.

This small train stabling and maintenance depot in Phase 2B (Airport Line) will serve the city’s new 56 km Blue Line, which along with Phase 2A (ORR Line) will connect Central Silk Board – KR Puram – Bengaluru International Airport.

The facility on 22.62 acres is also referred to as Doddajala Depot or Shettigere Depot. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL) had awarded J Kumar – AICPL JV with its Rs. 182.33 crore contract in March 2023 with a 548 day (1.5 year) deadline.

J Kumar – AICPL JV is also responsible for converting the Purple Line’s operational Baiyappanahalli Depot in a phased manner to serve the Blue Line in the future. The quantum of work required and its preparatory work is way more complex than the Airport Depot, so I imagine it’ll be a while before we see a similar update.

With civil contracts long squared away, BMRCL is now finalizing its team of systems contractors. Both depots will house 222 new coaches (37 trains of 6 cars) as part of a 318 coach contract for which BEML was declared as the lowest bidder in May. Earlier this week, Larsen & Toubro was awarded 2 track-work contracts for the entire Blue Line’s main-line and inside both depots.

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– TMRG