BMRTL welcomes pvt players

BMRTL welcomes pvt players
The Times of India

Bangalore: Even as decks are being cleared for the Phase-I of Metro Rail project for Bangalore consisting of the north-south and east-west corridors, the Bangalore Mass Rapid Transit Limited (BMRTL) has said that it is open to private participation in Phase-II of the project.

BMRTL managing director K.N. Shrivastava told The Times of India on Tuesday that several private parties have evinced interest in participating in the project. Noted among them is a Malaysian consortium Kencana Kasifa Transit Systems (KKTS) which has offered the Karnataka government a driverless Metro Rail at no cost to the government.

Shrivastava said that a comprehensive transportation survey has been ordered for Bangalore city to study the traffic density and the needs for future expansion. The Phase-I project connecting Yeshwanthapur to R.V.Road on the north-south corridor and Byapanahalli to Raja Rajeshwari Nagar on Mysore Road on the east-west corridor has been estimated to cost Rs 6,207 crore.

For the Phase-II, which consists of connecting Electronic City on Hosur Road, Koramangala, HSR Layout, Marathahalli, Yelahanka, Bannerghatta Road, BTM Layout, among other areas, private equity will be required. Experts said that the system being offered by the Malaysian consortium is acceptable for a city like Bangalore and there is no harm in trying another financial model. The consortium has sought a 30-35 year period to undertake the project on a Build Own Operate Transfer (BOOT) basis.

An official said in Phase-I, Byapanahalli can be extended to cover up to ITPL in Whitefield and up to Peenya beyond Yeshwantpur. Sources said that as for technology, the Malaysian cosortium is competent to build a system, but they will have to submit a detailed project report (DPR) before any decision can be taken. “Only a DPR will make it clear if a project will be viable or not, even if the government does not have to fund the project.’’

Systems such as the monorail can be examined for providing feeder services to the Metro Rail, an official said.
Japan team on Green mission: A two-member Japanese team, in Bangalore to study the transportation and environmental impact of Metro Rail project, went to Bangalore University to check out the environmental assessment studies made by the university along the alignment of the project.

The team is representing the Japan Bank for International Cooperation (JBIC) which has shown interest in funding the Metro Rail project for Bangalore.

Bangalore Mass Rapid Transit Limited (BMRTL) sources said that the Metro Rail however does not require any environmental clearance.