Hosur Metro: CMRL officials visit Bengaluru, 12 stations planned

Electronics City Metro station on Hosur Road

Setting the ball rolling for the Hosur Metro (Bommasandra in Karnataka to Hosur in Tamil Nadu), a team of Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) officials visited Bengaluru on August 27.

CMRL Managing Director MA Siddique met with Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited Managing Director M Maheshwar Rao at BMRCL office in Shanti Nagar to discuss about the extension of Metro line from Bommasandra to Hosur.

"The meeting focused on the feasibility of implementing the MRTS line, which will cover a length of 23 Km, including around 11 Km in Tamil Nadu and 12 Km in Karnataka, with 12 metro stations and a depot planned along the route," said a CMRL statement.

Officials from CMRL, BMRCL, and consultants (Balaji Railroad Systems Private Limited JV and Habog Consultants Private Limited) were present during the meeting

Also, read: South India's first inter-state Metro? CMRL to conduct feasibility study to extend Bengaluru Metro to Hosur in TN

"CMRL is in the process of preparing a Detailed Feasibility Study Report (DFR) for the extension of the MRTS line from Bommasandra (Bengaluru) to Hosur via Attibele, as directed by Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) and approved by Tamil Nadu government. This DFR is in the advanced stages of completion," the CMRL statement said.

Rao told Moneycontrol: “The technical aspects of the project were discussed. The DFR being prepared by the consultant hired by CMRL is nearing completion. The consultant also gave us a presentation about the project.”

Also read: DK Shivakumar proposes Metro to Bidadi; BARSYL-Habog to prepare feasibility report for Hosur Metro

Following the discussions, CMRL team along with the consultants, headed to Hosur and held discussions with Krishnagiri collector KM Sarayu and Hosur municipality corporation commissioner HS Srikanth.

Bengaluru Metro's Yellow Line, connecting Bommasandra and RV Road, is expected to be operational by December 2024. BMRCL has also engaged Aarvee Associates to prepare a feasibility study for the extension of the Yellow Line from Bommasandra to Attibele (11 km), near the Karnataka-Tamil Nadu border.

Also read: Titagarh to supply the first train for Bengaluru metro’s Electronics City corridor in August 2024

Sources said that Karnataka is unlikely to fund Hosur Metro. "It's up to the Tamil Nadu government or CMRL to conduct the feasibility study, but Karnataka government is unlikely to participate in cost-sharing since the state is already losing investments. TN also announced an airport in Hosur after Karnataka planned a second airport. Hosur airport is likely to draw passengers from South Bengaluru." a senior Karnataka government official told Moneycontrol. Several Bengaluru-based electric vehicle manufacturing firms have been setting up their manufacturing units in neighbouring Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu.

Also, read: 'Shocking that Karnataka lost out to Tamil Nadu in landing investments from Ather, Ola'

However, the Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company (K-RIDE), which is executing the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP), had proposed expanding the network to nearby cities and towns around Bengaluru, including Heelalige-Hosur corridor (23 km). The agency has sought approval from the Union Ministry of Railways to conduct a pre-feasibility study for this expansion. However, South Western Railway has opposed the proposal.

Separately, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister MK Stalin on June 27 announced the plans to set up an international airport in Hosur. Tamil Nadu's decision to set up an international airport at Hosur is likely to benefit not just its home district Krishnagiri and the adjacent Dharmapuri and Salem districts in the state, but also the tech hub Electronics City and the southeastern parts of Bengaluru.

The new greenfield international airport in Hosur, with a capacity to handle 30 million passengers per annum, will span over 2,000 acres. The new airport at the town on the Tamil Nadu-Karnataka border just outside Bengaluru is expected to be a boon to Electronics City, which has offices of companies such as Infosys and Biocon, as well as residents of nearby areas like Chandapura and Attibele.

Also, read: Airport at Tamil Nadu's Hosur to benefit Bengaluru's tech hub Electronics City and nearby areas