Metro underground work won’t disrupt traffic

Underground work won’t disrupt traffic
The Times of India

Bangalore: The construction of underground section of Metro Rail, when it starts, will not throw traffic into confusion. This assurance comes from none other than the project officials.

The underground construction, which is the most difficult portion, will not disturb traffic in the city, Bangalore Mass Rapid Transit Limited (BMRTL) officials said. “People will not even get to see the construction.’’

BMRTL and Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC) officials held a meeting here on Tuesday to discuss the project, following the Public Investment Board clearance.

The Bangalore Metro Rail has a small underground section in the congested Majestic and surrounding areas. The Metro station will come up right under the Kempe Gowda KSRTC bus stand in Majestic. The underground will have four levels, two for stations and two for concourses.

Also, the underground section will be linked to Platform No. 1 of the Bangalore City Railway station by a travelator, BMRTL managing director K.N. Shrivastava told The Times of India.

The Delhi Metro Rail has a similar component and it will be replicated here, DMRC managing director E. Sreedharan added. The physical work of section-I of Phase-I, which involves construction of elevated portion between Byappanahalli and Cricket Stadium on Cubbon Road via M.G. Road, will commence in three months.

Shrivastava said the Byappanahalli station will become the hub and it could also be connected to the Devanahalli airport by building a separate corridor.

Meanwhile, the BMRTL officials have decided to extend the R.V. Road-Yeshwanthpur section up to Peenya since the depot is going to come up at Peenya.

As for the link to Electronic City on Hosur Road, Shrivastava said Electronic City could be linked from R.V. Road station via Bannerghatta Road. It will not be possible to link Electronic City along Hosur Road since the state government is building an elevated road from Silk Board Junction to Electronic City.

The machine for tunnelling the underground section will be imported from either Japan, Germany or the United Kingdom.