Nod for `Reach - 1' of metro rail

Nod for `Reach - 1' of metro rail

The Hindu

Rs. 138.55-crore contract given to a Hyderabad company

# 5.5-km viaduct between Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium and Byappanahalli to be built
# `Reach - 1' of first phase to have 6 stations

BANGALORE: As its first anniversary gift, the Janata Dal (Secular)-Bharatiya Janata Party Government on Friday gave the green signal for the commencement of the first phase of civil work on metro rail here by awarding the contract for construction of a 5.5-km viaduct between Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium and Byappanahalli to a private company.

The work on this elevated corridor is expected to commence on February 3, the first anniversary of the coalition Government.

Disclosing this to presspersons after the Cabinet meeting on Saturday, Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy said that Navayuga, a Hyderabad-based company, which had associated with the Delhi Metro Rail work, had been awarded the Rs. 138.55-crore civil contract for the work.

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) Managing Director V. Madhu said the company would implement the civil works related to "Reach - 1" of the first phase, which had five "reaches" comprising a network of about 40 km.

The civil works on "Reach - 1" that connected Chinnaswamy Cricket Stadium and Byyappanahalli through M.G. Road, Trinity Circle, Ulsoor, CMH Road, Indiranagar and Old Madras Road would be completed in 27 months.

The metro rail would operate on this stretch from March 2010, Mr. Madhu said.

The "Reach - 1" will have six stations: near Plaza cinema on M.G. Road, Trinity Circle, Police Officers' Residential Quarters near Ulsoor, near Arya Samaj on CMH Road and near Isolation Hospital on Old Madras Road and the main station at Byyappanahalli.

Mr. Madhu said that tenders would be invited soon for the work on other "reaches" as well as building of rail coaches in four months.

The work on the first phase of the project would be completed by December 2011.

The first phase would have an underground stretch of 6.76 km near the City Railway Station, Vidhana Soudha, Majestic and City Market.

The total stretch of the proposed metro rail network in the first phase would increase from 33 km to nearly 40 km with the decision to extend the route from Yeshwanthpur to Hessarghatta in "Reach - 5" of the first phase.

The Chief Minister and Mr. Madhu made it clear that there was no question of deviating from the planned route alignment for Metro rail.

Monorail is set to enter Bangalore with the BMRC inviting Request for Proposal (RPF) from consultants on Saturday for the implementation of the network.