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

Electronics City Metro station on Hosur Road.

Setting the ball rolling for South India's first inter-state Metro rail system, Chennai Metro Rail Limited (CMRL) on August 1 floated a tender to conduct a feasibility study for extending Bengaluru Metro to Hosur in Tamil Nadu.

CMRL has invited a tender for the selection of a consultant to prepare a feasibility study report for introducing a mass rapid transit connecting Hosur with Bommasandra near Electronics City. The tender is likely to be opened on  September 1, 2023.

The Bengaluru Metro's Yellow Line, which will connect Bommasandra and RV Road in South Bengaluru, is expected to be operational by December 2023.

Also, read: Electronics City Metro corridor likely to commence operations by December 2023

The proposed Bommasandra-Hosur Metro corridor spans a total of 20.5 km, with 11.7 km falling in Karnataka and the remaining 8.8 km in Tamil Nadu.

Hosur, an industrial hub, is home to establishments like Ashok Leyland, Titan, and TVS Motors, as well as more than 2,000 MSMEs. Congress leader and Krishnagiri MP A Chellakumar has been advocating for the extension of Bengaluru Metro to Hosur.

The feasibility study will examine several key factors, including the type of trains (Normal Metro/Metrolite/Metro Neo), estimated ridership, alignment, location of stations, and construction costs.

Currently, thousands of people residing in the border areas commute between Karnataka and Tamil Nadu for work, mainly using crowded buses. However, many experts argue that a suburban rail connecting Bengaluru and Hosur would be more viable than a Metro rail, which is primarily designed for intra-city commuting. The civil work tender for the Bengaluru suburban rail's Kanaka corridor (Heelalige-Yelahanka-Rajankunte) is expected to be finalized within a few weeks, and there are plans to extend this corridor from Heelalige to Hosur.

In May 2022, the Karnataka government approved TN's proposal for a feasibility study to extend the Bengaluru Metro corridor to Hosur. Subsequently, the Tamil Nadu government, after obtaining approval from the Union Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), sanctioned Rs 75 lakh for the feasibility study in February 2023.

The cost-sharing for the project construction remains unclear, with the Karnataka government asking Tamil Nadu to bear the cost of the feasibility study. Meanwhile, several Bengaluru-based electric vehicle manufacturing firms have been establishing their manufacturing units in neighbouring Krishnagiri, Tamil Nadu.

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However, Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company (K-RIDE), executing the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP), has recently proposed expanding the network to nearby cities and towns of Bengaluru, including the 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. Karnataka large & medium industries and infrastructure development minister MB Patil said they have decided to extend the BSRP network under Phase 2.

Also read: Bengaluru suburban rail's Phase 2 to cover 452 km; Karnataka seeks nod from rail ministry

Meanwhile, Hosur airport is not yet operational for commercial flights due to a concession agreement between the Union government and Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL). Thali airport near Hosur would have attracted air passengers from places like Hosur, Electronics City and Jigani. The agreement prohibits the opening of any new or existing domestic airports within a 150-kilometer aerial distance from Bengaluru airport for 25 years. Kempegowda International Airport commenced operations on May 24, 2008. While the Tamil Nadu government proposed a new airport in Hosur and a feasibility study was conducted in September 2021, it remained on paper.