3 km in 7 years: Bengaluru Metro's most delayed section ready for commercial operations, gets CMRS nod

Statutory safety inspection of newly constructed metro line between Nagasandra and Madavara stations was conducted on October 3 by Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (Southern Circle)

Bengaluru Metro's most delayed section is finally ready.

The Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS), Southern Circle, on October 4, gave the green light for the commencement of commercial operations on the Nagasandra-Madavara (Bangalore International Exhibition Centre).

The 3 km Green Line extension has three elevated stations: Manjunathanagar, Chikkabidarakallu (Jindal), and Madavara (BIEC). Green Line, which connects Nagasandra in the northwest to Silk Institute in the south, spans 30 km and includes 29 stations.  Once the 3 km extension begins operations, Bengaluru Metro network will be expanded to 76 km, including Purple Line (Challaghatta–Whitefield, 42.17 km, 37 stations).

CMRS (Southern Circle) AM Choudhary and his team conducted the statutory inspection of the 3 km section on October 3. The next day, Choudhary issued a six-page sanction letter approving the introduction of commercial services. A copy of this letter is available with Moneycontrol.

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CMRS approval is subject to fulfilling certain conditions, and the section’s opening will be announced after these requirements are met and availability of VIPs, following approval from Union and state governments. The approval outlines several conditions, including nine general conditions, eight related to safety provisions and passenger amenities, five for operations, 11 concerning civil engineering and track, three for electrical systems, seven for stations, and five for signalling and telecommunications.

CMRS inspected the track, signaling systems, sub-systems, viaducts, physical structures, station amenities, and more. During the speed trials, trains ran at a maximum speed of 80 kmph.

Asked about the opening date of the section, a senior BMRCL official said: "We will comply with the conditions laid out by the CMRS and finalise the section's opening after consulting with both the Union and state governments." He added that the section will be opened within this month.

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Slow pace of construction

This is probably one of the slowest elevated metro sections in the country. Earlier, Kolkata Metro’s first section—a 3.4 km underground stretch—took nearly 10 years to complete. In fact, Bengaluru Metro network covers only 73 km, which averages a mere 7 km added per year since 2011. Bengaluru was India's most congested city in 2023, ranking sixth globally, according to the TomTom Traffic Index.

Construction on the 3 km elevated Green Line extension from Nagasandra began in 2017 and was originally scheduled to be completed in 27 months (by mid-2019). The Rs 298-crore contract to build stations on the extended Green Line extension under Phase 2 was awarded to Simplex Infrastructures Ltd in February 2017, with civil work beginning in June 2017.

However, delays due to land acquisition and other issues dragged the project out. The delays were caused by land acquisition issues with National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) and Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC), delays in obtaining approval for the viaduct crossing over NICE Road from Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprise Ltd (NICE), financial crisis of Simplex, as well as the Covid-19 pandemic and subsequent lockdown.

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The operations

The coaches already running on existing Metro corridors are permitted to operate on the Nagasandra-Madavara (BIEC) section with six-car trains, as per the CMRS sanction. Considering the shortage of trains, Green Line extension is likely to reduce the frequency of services on both Purple and Green Lines. E xperts say that one train per kilometre is necessary to maintain a 3–4-minute frequency, but Bengaluru Metro only has 57 trains.

However, the extension is expected to provide Metro connectivity to thousands of residents in Bengaluru’s outskirts and ensure smoother access to places such as Jindal Naturecure Institute and BIEC. BIEC in north-west Bengaluru covers 57 acres, featuring 77,200 square metres of indoor exhibition space, five halls, a conference center, food courts, and ample parking. Established by the Indian Machine Tool Manufacturers’ Association (IMTMA), it has hosted many events since 2007. Tumakuru Road, a major thoroughfare that connects Bengaluru to other parts of the state and Maharashtra, is used by many intercity bus operators.

In July 2024, BMRCL awarded a contract to Hyderabad-based Aarvee Associates to prepare a feasibility study report for the extension of Bengaluru Metro's Green Line from Madavara (BIEC) to Tumakuru (52.4 km) under the Public-Private Partnership (PPP) model.

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