State okays Metro Rail extensions

State okays Metro Rail extensions
CHANDRASHEKAR G.
DC | BENGALURU


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The state govern ment has approved the extension of the Metro Rail corridors to increase its occupancy and keep more traffic off city roads. The High Powered Committee (HPC) has given the go ahead for extending the East-West and North-South corridors and the new route between IIM-B and Nagavara which will cost about Rs 11,600 crore to build.
While phase 1 of the Metro Rail stretches over 42 km and will cost Rs 11,500 crore, the extensions and new route will stretch over about 52 km in phase 2.

The approval for the stretch between IIM-B and Nagavara will be an advantage for passengers from Shivajinagar and Bannerghatta Road as they will now have train connectivity to various destinations. A detailed project report (DPR) is being prepared for another stretch of the Metro Rail between RV Road and Electronic City for submission to the HPC, according to sources in the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), who were optimistic that this route too

will be approved as it will serve to ferry techies to their workplaces.
The state government recently approved the extension of the Metro Rail between Peenya and Bengaluru International Exhibition Centre and Byappanahalli and ITPL in the NorthSouth corridor and from Puttenahalli to Anjanapura Layout and between Mysore Road and Kengeri Satellite Town in the EastWest corridor.

The BMRCL is expected to now prepare a DPR on the extensions and new routes for the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation (DMRC).

Reach 1 of the project between Byappanahalli and Chinnaswamy Stadium is slated for completion by December 2010, and work may begin soon on the MG Road boulevard, say sources.