A view of the ongoing metro work near Dairy Circle on Bannerghatta Road.
DH Photo/Pushkar V
Bengaluru: Two more companies are in advanced talks with Namma Metro to provide them with direct connectivity to four metro stations on the Pink and Blue lines, both of which are under construction.
Apollo Hospitals, located on Bannerghatta Road, has sought direct connectivity to the IIMB metro station on the Pink Line. The Bagmane Group, known for building several glitzy tech parks in the city, has shown interest in direct access to the Bellandur, Isro and Jakkur Cross metro stations on the Blue Line.
In both cases, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) is expected to be signed shortly, according to M Maheswar Rao, Managing Director, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL). "We are actively working with all stakeholders on this," he told DH.
Key details, such as the size of the walkways and their cost, are still being worked out, according to a source in the BMRCL.
The walkways will connect the company premises with the concourses of the respective metro stations.
Direct access to the metro stations will help thousands of employees working at the Bagmane tech parks as well as patients and their attendants visiting Apollo Hospitals.
If the agreements materialise, the BMRCL will build the access infrastructure while the companies will fund it. The agreement usually lasts 30 years from the date of construction.
Several companies have already signed pacts with the BMRCL for dedicated access to various metro stations.
These include Information Technology Park Limited (ITPL) for the Pattandur Agrahara metro station (Purple Line), Embassy Property Developments Pvt Ltd (Kadubeesanahalli; Blue Line), Infosys Foundation (Konappana Agrahara, Yellow Line), Biocon Foundation (Hebbagodi, Yellow Line), and Bosch Limited (Lakkasandra, Pink Line).
Embassy, Infosys Foundation and Biocon Foundation are also funding the construction of their respective metro stations.
Biocon's agreement with the BMRCL entails constructing a foot overbridge connecting the unpaid area of the Hebbagodi metro station concourse to the other side of Hosur Road to provide access to commuters and the general public.
Last week, Taiwanese multinational Delta Electronics signed an MoU with the BMRCL for naming rights to the Bommasandra metro station for 30 years. The company will contribute Rs 65 crore for the naming rights and has already paid Rs 10 crore.
The 21.26-km Pink Line, which links Kalena Agrahara to Nagawara, is to open in March 2025. The 58.19-km Blue Line, linking Silk Board Junction with the airport via KR Puram, will open in June 2026. The 19.15-km Yellow Line (RV Road-Bommasandra) will likely open by the end of this year.