Metro looking at potential in Greater Bangalore

Metro looking at potential in Greater Bangalore

The Hindu

Plan for phase 2 will take shape after survey

# BMRC team will physically verify land required for alignment
# The board has authorised the Managing Director to make plans for phase 2 of the project

BANGALORE: The phase 2 of the Bangalore Metro may address travel needs of the people in the new areas of Greater Bangalore.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRC), which is building the Rs. 6,400-crore 33-km metro rail network under phase 1, may soon begin work on this.

The board of the BMRC recently authorised its Managing Director, V. Madhu, to plan for phase 2 of the project. But Mr. Madhu said he would wait for the completion of the comprehensive survey of the city's traffic being done by RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Services Ltd.).

The survey's findings will help BMRC to plan for the feeder services for phase one of project.

Mr. Madhu told The Hindu that the board had taken note of the development and had authorised him to prepare a plan for the phase 2.

The BMRC sources said the first task before BMRC would be to decide the areas to be covered under the phase 2 and its possible alignment. Apart from studying the findings of a comprehensive survey, a BMRC team would physically verify the areas to be covered.

The preparation of detailed project report for the phase 2 includes fixing funding pattern among the State and Union governments and the BMRC, deciding the lands to be acquired, designing the civil structures and getting a series of approvals from the State and Central governments.

It may be noted that BMRC officials had to make frequent visits to New Delhi to obtain approvals from it including the one from the Union Cabinet. The project has to achieve financial closure after negotiations with financial institutions.

Soft loan

The first phase of the project is getting the prestigious soft loan of about Rs. 1,800 crore from Japan Bank for International Cooperation. The phase 1 has entered a crucial phase with the BMRC shortlisting 10 consortia and two individual to build elevated tracks and stations.

It will have two corridors — East-West and North-West. It will have 32 stations. It is expected to be ready by 2011. But the Reach 1 of the project (from Mahatma Gandhi Road to Byappanahalli) will be ready by 2008 end when the first metro service is expected to become operational.