From funding stations to painting pillars, here’s how corporates are boarding the Bengaluru Metro

Median gardens and pillars have already been developed in some areas like Whitefield and MG Road.

In a bid to combat the tech capital’s traffic woes, corporates are chipping in to popularise Bengaluru Metro and give it that extra edge.

The upcoming Metro stations at Whitefield, Outer Ring Road (ORR), Electronics City and airport road, notorious for traffic bottlenecks, will service major IT-BT companies in the city.

Some of these firms have entered into agreements with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) for building Foot Over Bridges (FOBs) from the nearest station to their respective campuses, funding stations, painting viaducts, pillars, planting saplings and maintaining medians.

According to Bengaluru Metro officials, it is a win-win situation for both since it will offer ridership a boost, and firms stand to save on employee transport.Firms/tech-parks, including Infosys Foundation, Biocon Foundation, Intel Technology, Prestige, Embassy and ITPB have signed memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with BMRCL to fund Metro stations near their respective campuses (see graphics).  BMRCL is also in talks with firms/tech-parks like Bagmane, Bosch, Century Group and Indian Oil Corporation for this purpose.

“This is a unique concept in India,” BMRCL Managing Director Anjum Parwez told Moneycontrol.

BMRCL aims to raise funds through 'Innovative Financing Scheme' involving corporates. In return, BMRCL offers naming rights, advertisements, and commercial space for a period of 30 years. Bengaluru Metro will also facilitate direct access/walkways from the campuses to the nearest station.

“Bosch, for instance, has already deposited Rs 10 crore for permission to build an underground subway from Lakkasandra Metro station (Pink Line) to their campus. They will be depositing another Rs 35 crore for the construction of the subway,” said Parwez.

Bagmane Tech Park has sought direct access to their campuses from four stations: Seetharampalya, Bellandur, ISRO and Jakkur Cross. In fact, Bagmane had proposed a Monorail service from SV Road Metro station on the Purple Line to DRDO Metro station on ORR to connect its campus at CV Raman Nagar. Separately, Manyata Promoters Pvt Ltd has provided 3,000 square meters of land (57 sq m within its premises) worth Rs 32 crore for realignment of the Metro line for Veerannapalya station, Parvez added.

Enumerating the benefits of such a partnership, Parwez said, “Direct access to company campuses from the station's concourse is a major boon for firms. This will cut their employee transportation expenses since they would now need to take care of only first- or last-mile connectivity. In fact, the Metro is faster, efficient, reliable and environment-friendly (than other modes of public transport). It will also bring a sense of ownership to these companies.”

Citing the example of Swedish retail furniture giant Ikea setting up its store adjoining the Nagasandra Metro station, he said: “Following opening of Ikea, our daily ridership on weekdays has increased from 10,000 to 17,000 and from 14,000 to around 25,000 during weekends. FOB work connecting the Metro and Ikea stations is under progress, which will further drive ridership."

New station at Jakkur plantation

BMRCL is considering a new station at Jakkur plantation (between Jakkur and Yelahanka stations) as part of Airport Metro (KR Puram-Kempegowda International Airport) and is in talks with realty firms Century Group and Bagmane Group. Only one of them is likely to be finalised by April. Separately, Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL), the operator of KIA, will develop, manage and maintain two stations within the airport premises.

Painting Metro pillars, viaducts

According to BMRCL officials, they are also entering into MoUs with corporates to paint viaducts, pillars and maintain medians as part of the beautification plan. Median gardens and pillars have already been developed in some areas like Whitefield and MG Road.

“Earlier, we used to sign MoUs with corporates to plant saplings and maintain medians below Metro viaducts. In Whitefield, for the first time, corporates helped paint the viaducts and pillars and maintained the medians. Major firms also want to keep these structures clean since a number of foreign delegates frequently visit their campuses.”There are others who are even willing to go beyond medians and pillars. BMRCL has received a proposal from a tech-park in Whitefield to put up LED lights on pillars between Mahadevapura and Hoodi, Parvez said. “It will be the first-of-its-kind. I bet, it will look great.”

Corporates & Bengaluru infra

Not just Namma Metro, many of these corporate firms were involved in the city's large infra projects. For instance, Electronic City elevated expressway (9.9Km) Silk Board junction to Electronics City was lobbied by software giants like Infosys Technologies, Wipro, Siemens and Hewlett-Packard. The Electronics City expressway which was inaugurated in 2010 was aimed to make Hosur Road a signal-free corridor and to reduce congestion.

Similarly, a skywalk over the busy Outer Ring Road in Bellandur was built at a cost of Rs 4.7 crore in 2016 with a project involving more than 30 private firms under the umbrella of the Outer Ring Roads Companies Association (ORRCA). They decided to do so after a series of accidents involving pedestrians on the stretch and the failure of civic agencies to build one. Further, Bengaluru-based developer Embassy Group built a Rs 183 crore 900m three-lane flyover in 2022 with an entry ramp to the tech-park at Nagawara and an exit towards Hebbal-side.

Revathy Ashok, CEO of the Bangalore Political Action Committee (B.PAC), an NGO which works with various government agencies, said: "Bengaluru has a unique culture of citizen groups and corporate leaders deeply engaging with the state government to resolve infrastructure issues. In fact, Outer Ring Road Metro did not even figure in plans but a lot of efforts were put in place by multiple people pushing for it and also suggesting the innovative financing concept for the project. I really don't think any other city in India has this kind of an engagement by corporate firms with governance."