Metro Rail: city ahead in race

Metro Rail: city ahead in race
The Times of India

Bangalore: Finance minister P Chidambaram’s budget has shown a committed support for the Bangalore Metro Rail project, while including Hyderabad in the scheme of things. The Metro Rail projects have been enlisted under the National Urban
Renewal Mission (NURM). The Bangalore Metro Rail project is in its advanced stage of finalisation along with that of Mumbai. For the first time, Rs 30-crore allocation has been made in the budget and the balance funds required for the current year will be appropriated. Now, the FM has talked about Hyderabad, Indore (Madhya Pradesh) and Ahmedabad (Gujarat), giving much fillip to the project.
Reacting to the budget, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation managing director K N Shrivastava told The Times of India that support for the Bangalore Metro project was a foregone conclusion. “Only some clearances are awaited,’’ he added.
On Thursday, the GoM report is expected to be ready. The issues being finalised by the GoM include gauge for the system and the Act under which the project comes.
As far as Bangalore project is concerned, the cabinet note is ready and with the GoM report, it can go to the CCEA for clearance, which, according to Shrivastava, “will come through by March 15”.
Bangalore will become the first city to get the project after New Delhi. Hyderabad will take about 9-10 months to come to Bangalore’s level. Also, the Mumbai Metro project will take off before the Hyderabad proposal comes to shape. Bids have already been invited through BOOT route for the Mumbai project.
Comparing Bangalore with that of Hyderabad, the latter is going to be elevated with no underground component anywhere unlike the Bangalore project. Hyderabad has planned a 62-km network at a cost of Rs 6,000 crore. The cost of the Bangalore project is estimated at about Rs 6,300 crore for 36.5 km and it includes 8 km of underground.