Bengaluru's longest underground metro line is on track

As civil work enters final stage, BMRCL plans to start systems work

After facing years of delays, Bengaluru metro's longest underground section is finally making steady progress. This was clear from three under-construction stations and a Tunnel Boring Machine (TBM) that DH visited recently. 

MG Road, Bengaluru's most famous high street, is getting a new metro station more than 62 feet below the surface. Part of the Pink Line, this station will be integrated with the existing Purple Line, and bring the CBD closer to the city's southern and northeastern suburbs. 

The 21.26-km Pink Line has a 13.76-km underground section and a 7.5-km elevated section, connecting Kalena Agrahara, Bannerghatta Road, to Nagavara. It has 18 stations, including 12 underground. 

Of the three stations visited by DH, civil work is nearly 90% complete at MG Road and Shivajinagar. Workers were busy laying tiles, painting walls and installing air-conditioning systems. Tracks have also been laid on both tunnels, and preparations are underway to start electrical, signalling and other systems work.

Civil work has also picked up at Lakkasandra, the third station visited by DH. Lakkasandra is where TBM Rudra is boring a northbound 720-metre tunnel in its final drive towards Langford Town. The gigantic machine bored 461 metres as of September 24 and is expected to break through in late October or early November. 

Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) hopes to complete all civil and track-laying works on the Pink Line by the second half of 2024 and start traction, signalling and other systems works. 

Back to MG Road. Although the underground station is located about 100 metres away from the existing elevated station, the BMRCL has worked out a plan to integrate the two. 

Subrahmanya Gudge, Chief Engineer (Underground Section (RT 01 & 02), BMRCL, promised that Purple Line passengers would be able to seamlessly switch to the Pink Line and vice versa. The MG Road underground station will have as many as four entrances and Automatic Fare Collection (AFC) gates at the concourse level. 

"Passengers can easily switch between Pink and Purple lines without moving out of the AFC gates and will be billed as per the telescopic fare structure," he told this newspaper. 

Tunnelling on other stretches of the Pink Line is also in the final stages. TBMs Tunga and Bhadra are currently boring from Venkateshpura through KG Halli, and are expected to achieve a breakthrough early next year. The two machines have to tunnel 2.79 km more between Venkateshpura and Nagavara. In all, the BMRCL has tunnelled 17.93 km out of the targeted 20.991 km, according to officials. 

Raghavendra Shanbhag, Deputy Chief Engineer (Underground Section, RT 01), said station work was 50% complete at Dairy Circle, Lakkasandra and Langford Town. According to him, Langford Town has seen more progress (60%) because they adopted the top-down approach in 60% of the station construction. He expects the remaining work to be completed by June 2024. 

Dayanand Shetty, Chief Engineer (Underground Section, RT 03 and 04), BMRCL, said civil work was 65% complete on the six stations between Cantonment and Nagavara. "Excavation has been completed at all stations. Civil work is in advanced stages (80% complete) at Cantonment and Pottery Town. Similarly, work has picked up at Tannery Road, Venkateshpura and Nagavara stations," he told DH. 

Shetty expects the station work at Cantonment, Pottery Town and Tannery Road to be completed by March/April and at Venkateshpura, KG Halli and Nagavara by July/August. As of September 24, TBM Tunga had bored 928 metres out of the 1,184 metres between Venkateshpura and KG Halli for its second drive. TBM Bhadra tunnelled 522 metres out of the targeted 1,186 metres, he added. Both machines will then be launched for their final drives from KG Halli and Nagavara, and are targeted to complete the assignment by March, Shetty said.