Mega Metro station at Minsk Square

Mega Metro station at Minsk Square
R Jayaprakash | TNN

Bangalore: The Metro Rail, which will add a new dimension to the dynamics of Bangalore, will soon change the cityscape. Among many stations that are planned along the rail network, a massive underground station has been planned at the historical Minsk Square.
In a few months from now, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) will start the spadework at the Square.
The plan is to construct a 1.2-acre station beneath the Square. If someone frets on the heritage of this Square, which symbolises the new Bangalore, here is a respite. “We are adopting cut-and-cover method for putting up the station. We will dig up the entire 1.20 acres at Minsk Square, construct the station, put back the earth and restore it to its original shape and feature,’’ BMRCL sources said.
The entire work will take up 1.5 acres. The authorities will cordon off the construction site and Minsk Square will be closed for traffic during the construction period.
The 50,000 sqft station will have four entrances leading down to the platform and will have escalators. It will have paid area, non-paid area, automatic ticket vending machines, counters and kiosks at the entrance of the platform, which will be 135-metre long and 3-metre wide.
The station will facilitate Metro Rail movement on the Majestic-Byappanahalli corridor.
BMRC sources said the station work will begin simultaneously with the Reach One work between MG Road and Byappanahalli.
Tunnel under Metro station
The BDA is working out the nitty-gritty of putting up the first-ever traffic tunnel in the country. It will connect Minsk Square with Hebbal Flyover. To cost around Rs 800 crore, the 8-km tunnel will have two decks of three-lane each. Each deck will carry traffic in one direction.
BDA commissioner M K Shankaralinge Gowda told the Sunday Times of India: “The project is still in the concept stage. We are consulting different agencies, which have done similar projects abroad. There are certain engineering challenges regarding the integration of the tunnel along with the Metro station at the Minsk Square. We have to address that first. Right now, we are thinking of going 35 metres below the surface, under the Metro station.’’
A group from Shanghai was recently in the city and made a presentation to CM on building the tunnel. A major advantage of this project is that it doesn’t require any land acquisition and nothing on the surface will be disturbed. The entire work will happen underground and people over ground will not realise the work is progressing. “We will call for expression of interest within a month. After that, we will call for tenders. We may even complete the project in 30 months,” says the BDA chief. The tunnel will have illumination, ducting and facilities to drain water that seeps in. Such tunnels come with a good surface that makes it easy to drive through. The tunnel will connect to the flyover, which is thereon linked to the six-lane Bellary road, making it a smooth drive up to the international airport.