Bengaluru Metro submits DPR for Rs 28,405 crore Hebbal-Sarjapur corridor to state govt, seeks approval

Deputy chief minister and Bengaluru development minister DK Shivakumar has been pushing for the construction of tunnel roads, a move experts say could potentially incentivise the use of private vehicles in a city that is already crippled by traffic jams.

Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has submitted the detailed project report (DPR) for the long-pending 37-km Hebbal-Sarjapur corridor to the Karnataka government for approval.

This will be a crucial corridor connecting the tech hub Sarjapur and Hebbal, cutting across Bengaluru's CBD areas and Koramangala.

Sources said the Phase 3A project, which is expected to cost Rs 28,405 crore (including land acquisition costs), is likely to have 28 stations, including 17 elevated and 11 underground.

Bengaluru Metro’s Hebbal- Sarjapur corridor

BMRCL sources told Moneycontrol that DPR was submitted last week to the state government for approval. "Once the state government gives its nod, it will then go to the Union government for final approval."

The likely stations are Sarjapur, Kada Agrahara Road, Sompura, Dommasandra, Muthanallur Cross, Kodathi Gate, Ambedkar Nagar, Carmelaram, Doddakannelli, Kaikondrahalli, Bellandur Gate, Ibbalur, Agara, Jakkasandra, Koramangala 3rd Block, Koramangala 2nd Block, Dairy Circle, NIMHANS, Shanti Nagar, Town Hall, KR Circle, Basaveshwara Circle, Bengaluru Golf Course, Palace Guttahalli, Mehkri Circle, Veterinary College, Ganga Nagar and Hebbal. The depot will be located at Sarjapur.

According to DPR, Sarjapur to Koramangala 3rd Block section (15 elevated stations) will be elevated, then it will go underground between Koramangala 2nd Block and Veterinary College (11 UG stations). It emerges after Veterinary College, with the next two stations, Ganga Nagar and Hebbal, being elevated. "There could be some minor tweaks after which the state government will approve it," said an official.

Also, read: Bengaluru Metro to conduct feasibility study for double-decker flyovers on three corridors; invites tender

It will have interchanges at Ibbalur (Central Silk Board-KR Puram Line), Dairy Circle (Kalena Agrahara-Nagawara Line), KR Circle near Sir M Visvesvaraya station (Purple Line), and also at Hebbal (KR Puram-Kempegowda International Airport and Kempapura-JP Nagar Lines).

Project cost

In the 2022-2023 budget, the then CM Basavaraj Bommai announced Sarjapur-Hebbal corridor via Agara, Koramangala, and Diary Circle—at an estimated cost of Rs 15,000 crore.

If the 37-km Hebbal-Sarjapur corridor gets approved as per the DPR, it will be one of the most cost-intensive Metro corridors in Bengaluru, with an estimated cost of around Rs 768 crore per km.

In contrast, Phase 1, covering 42 km, was initially estimated at Rs 6,395 crore in 2005 but later increased to Rs 14,405 crore. Similarly, Phase 2, covering 72 km, was estimated at Rs 26,405 crore in 2017 but is likely to exceed Rs 32,000 crore, with completion pending. In 2021, the Union government approved Phase 2A from Central Silk Board Junction to KR Puram and Phase 2B from KR Puram to the Airport via Hebbal Junction. The estimated cost of 58Km Phase 2A and 2B project is Rs 14,788 crore.

In 2022, RINA Consulting was selected to prepare the DPR, which was submitted to BMRCL by the end of 2023 and later approved by Bengaluru Metro's board. It will be vetted by both the State Urban Development Department and the Finance Department before being presented to the state cabinet. Approval from the Union government is expected to take another two to three years.

Also, read: At 6 km/year, Namma Metro on super slo-mo track

Phase 3 awaits Union govt approval

In November 2022, the Karnataka government okayed Namma Metro’s two Phase 3 corridors totalling 44.6 kms: one, JP Nagar 4th Phase-Kempapura stretch along ORR West (32.1 km) and the other the Hosahalli-Kadabagere line along Magadi Road (12.5 km). The approval has been pending before the Union government since November 2022.

BMRCL officials said the Public Investment Board (PIB) recently cleared the Phase 3 project and is now awaiting the approval from Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA). While the project was supposed to be approved by the CCEA before the Lok Sabha polls, it was delayed.

Also, read: MC Interview: Invest in Modi for multi-fold returns; Cong poll guarantees have no impact, says Tejasvi Surya