The elevated line from Nagasandra to Madavara will have three stations — Manjunathnagar, Chikkabidarakallu, and Madavara. This extension on Green Line will connect to the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on Tumakuru Road, a key exhibition venue in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: Bhagya Prakash K
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) claims that commercial operations on the 3.7-km Green Line extension of Namma Metro, from Nagasandra to Madavara in north Bengaluru, are likely to begin by October after a delay of five years.
According to BMRCL officials, a trial run is expected by mid-August, with inspection by the Commissioner of Metro Railway Safety (CMRS) anticipated in September or October.
“Most of the work related to the airport extension line is nearly complete, and we are planning to invite the Commissioner of Metro Rail Safety for an inspection in September. We expect to commence operations by October. Following trial runs and an inspection by the CMRS, the line will be opened for revenue services,” an official said.
Construction of the fully elevated northern extension of the Green Line from Nagasandra, covering three kilometres, began in 2017 and was scheduled for completion by mid-2019.
Reasons for delay
The primary reasons for the delays in this section of the Namma Metro project were the slow land acquisition process from NICE and the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic.
The elevated line from Nagasandra to Madavara will have three stations — Manjunathnagar, Chikkabidarakallu, and Madavara. This extension will connect to the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre (BIEC) on Tumakuru Road, a key exhibition venue in the city.
Residents of Manjunathanagar, Chikkabidarakallu, Madavara, Tumakuru Road, Anchepalya, and Jindal Nagar are eagerly awaiting the opening of this section, as they currently have to travel over five kilometres to reach the Nagasandra metro station.
In January 2021, BMRCL inaugurated the southern extension of the Green Line, extending the line from Yelachenahalli to Silk Institute on Kanakapura Road. Once the line is extended to Madavara (BIEC), the entire Green Line will stretch 33 kilometres.
Extension to Tumakuru
The 2024-25 Karnataka budget has outlined plans to extend the Namma Metro to Tumakuru from Madavara. In his budget speech in February, Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah had stated that the feasibility report will be prepared for extending the metro rail from Bangalore International Exhibition Centre to Tumakuru, and from Kempegowda International Airport to Devanahalli, on a Public-Private Partnership basis.
The BMRCL recently awarded contracts for feasibility studies aimed at extending the metro to Tumakuru and constructing four additional double-deck flyovers as part of Phases 3 and 3A. On June 29, Aarvee Associates Architects Engineers and Consultants Private Limited, an infrastructure consultancy based in Hyderabad, was selected for these studies.
The feasibility studies will evaluate construction cost, conduct traffic surveys, determine alignments, and land acquisition details, and submit them to BMRCL. An official said that the findings of the feasibility studies will determine whether the proposed metro lines receive government approval.
“If both the State and Union Governments give the green light, the BMRCL will move forward with creating a Detailed Project Report (DPR), and submit to the government for approval,” the official added.