The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), which had failed to complete the tunnel work on time in Phase I, has set itself a deadline of three-and-a-half years to complete the work between Vellara Junction and Pottery Town — length of 5.659 km — in Phase II.
The BMRCL has issued tenders in two packages: one from Vellara to Shivajinagar (the tender was issued last week) and Shivajinagar to Tannery Road Station (excluding station). The tender for the latter was issued on Tuesday. The BMRCL is spending ₹2,236 crore to build this underground stretch.
The BMRCL is building the tunnel under busy roads like Brigade Road, and busy commercial areas like Shivajinagar. This is for the second time that BMRCL is floating tender for the underground stretch under Phase II, after receiving a nod from the European Investment Bank, the financing agency for the project.
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During the tunnel work for Phase I, the BMRCL had encountered tough terrain and faced breakdown of the Tunnel Boring Machines (TBMs) at various locations, which caused delays. It was only in June last year that BMRCL managed to start commercial operations in the entire Phase I after missing several deadlines.
This March, the BMRCL had cancelled the first tender floated for the underground stretch from Dairy Circle to Nagawara in Phase II citing the high cost quoted by bidders. It had also taken a call to bring down the project cost by building an elevated corridor on either end.
However, the BMRCL’s proposed plan for an elevated line will depend on whether the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike widens Tannery Road till Nagawara junction.
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The BMRCL is in the process of acquiring land for the underground project. An official said, “As per the original alignment, a final notification has been issued for acquisition of land from Dairy Circle to Shivajinagar underground metro station. Compensation determination is on for this stretch. For the rest of the stretch, that is from Shivajinagar to Nagawara, preliminary notification has been issued. Now, a tender has been floated to build a tunnel between Vellara to Pottery Town. For the rest of the stretch, there is a proposal to build an elevated line. However, we have not received the land plan yet.”
Under Phase II, the BMRCL is building a network of 72 km by extending four existing lines and building two new ones. The Phase II metro network will have 61 stations.
Phase I and Phase II will have a total length of 114 kilometres and 101 stations. In addition to this, the BMRCL is also building Phase II A metro line from Silk Board to K.R. Puram. The nearly 20-km line will have 13 stations.