[ad_1]
Metro works are going on near the Silk Board Junction towards the HSR layout in Bengaluru. | Photo Credit: BHAGYA PRAKASH K.
Besides the Whitefield and Electronics City lines, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) plans to launch two more lines under Phase II.
Green line extending 3 km from Nagasandra to Madavara (BIEC) on Tumkur road will be opened for public. Another line from Kengeri to Challaghatta on the Mysore road is also likely to be made available. On the Mysore Road to Challaghatta route, the section from Mysore Road to Kengeri was commissioned in August 2021.
A new contractor
When asked about the progress made in the construction of pink line from Kalena Agrahara to Nagawara (21 km), BMRCL Managing Director Anjum Parvez said that the construction of the elevated line between Kalena Agrahara and Dairy Circle is progressing at a good pace. After handing over the work to a new contractor. Construction work stalled for years as the previous contractor faced severe financial crisis, forcing BMRCL to cancel the contract.
“BMRCL has deployed nine tunnel boring machines to construct a 14 km tunnel network from Dairy Circle to Nagawara, of which two machines have completed the work,” he said. “A machine that got stuck near Lakkasandra after encountering a garbage dump will start work soon. On Tannery Road, another machine faced problems with loose soil near the tin factory. Our team solved the problem and the machine passed the problematic part. Other TBMs are working as per plans,” he said.
Long delays before
The construction of the tunnel has been delayed for a long time due to various reasons, including cancellation of the tender process after the bidder made inflated quotes when the tender was first floated. BMRCL then considered changing the alignment, but after realizing this was not possible, decided to stick with the original plan. Delays in acquisition of land like All Saints Church, Defense Land and other properties have also delayed the process.
Other major causes of delay in implementation of Phase II project include changes in plans in later phases; For example, construction of road-cum-metro flyover between Ragigudda and Central Silk from RV Road to Bommasandra Line was not part of the original DPR. BMRCL also took a long time to decide how to build two metro lines (Byyappanahalli to Whitefield and ORR-Airport lines) near the tin factory area.
Another major obstacle is the process of clearing trees that come in the way of the project. The pandemic, spike in steel prices after the Russia-Ukraine war, and heavy rainfall also played a major role in delaying the project.
Airport line by 2025
On the construction of the ORR-Airport line connecting the city with the Kempegowda International Airport, as per the plan, the line will be commissioned by 2025, the official said. The total length of this metro line is 55 km and it passes through KR Puram, Nagawara and Hebbal. By 2025, the city is expected to have a metro network of 175 km.
(With inputs from Bharat Gowda BR)
[ad_2]
Source link