Bengaluru’s Inner Ring Metro yet to get green signal from Karnataka govt, says BMRCL to Tejasvi Surya

Tejasvi Surya

Bengaluru's Inner Ring Metro (IRM), proposed by the Indian Institute of Science (IISc), is yet to receive the green signal from the Karnataka government.

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya posted on X, “When asked about the Inner Ring Metro, which was proposed by IISc and included in the Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) 2020, officials stated that they have not received any support or direction from the state government on this matter.”

Moneycontrol had earlier reported that Bengaluru’s fully underground Inner Ring Metro proposed by IISc has been put on the backburner.

The 34-km underground IRM, conceived by IISc to connect Bengaluru’s core areas, appears to be on hold after it was left out of Namma Metro’s Phase 4 expansion plan. IISc had envisioned the line as a solution to decongest central Bengaluru, but the project has been sidelined even as the state government focuses on extending Metro corridors to satellite towns.

In 2020, IISc’s civil engineering team, led by Prof. Ashish Verma, submitted a demand assessment and technical evaluation report to BMRCL, examining the feasibility of the fully underground corridor.

On the Pink Line: “Contrary to what the Deputy Chief Minister has posted, officials clarified that only the 7-km elevated stretch of the Pink Line would be operational by May 2026. The rest of the line will likely be completed by December 2026,” Surya said.

Regarding Phase 3 from JP Nagar to Kempapura (Orange Line), he says, despite the DPR being approved by the Union Cabinet within 100 days of Modi 3.0, the tender process has been delayed due to the state government’s plans to incorporate a double-decker flyover along the alignment.

"For the Red Line from Sarjapur to Hebbal, owing to high project costs- especially in the underground sections- the DPR is being reassessed after being returned by the central government" said Surya.

“Metro is going to be the lifeline of Bengaluru's public transport system and is key to decongesting the city. It is imperative that the state government provides all necessary support to speed up Metro projects and benefit the common person,” Surya added.