Bengaluru Metro Phase-3: New DPR Slashes Project's Cost By Nearly Rs 300 Crore

The revised Detailed Project Report (DPR) for Phase-3 of Bengaluru Metro has been submitted to the Centre by the state government.

The project is now estimated to cost Rs 16,041 crore, which is a reduction of Rs 287 crore from the original proposal.

The consultancy firm Rail India Technical and Economic Service (RITES) prepared the revised project and submitted it to the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL).

The approval of the project was initially expected before the Assembly elections, but it was delayed due to multiple clarifications sought by the Centre. The Centre asked for a revision of the cost due to certain technical specifications.

RITES spent the last eight months reworking the project and has now presented the revised version.

The route alignment remains unchanged, and the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA) recommended the removal of the escalation component for rolling stock.

On 18 November, 2022, the state government approved the project with a total cost of Rs 16,328 crore.

The state and the Centre were to bear a 20 per cent share or Rs 2,526 crore each, while the remaining 60 per cent was to be raised through external borrowings.

The removal of the rolling stock escalation aspect has resulted in a significant reduction in the Centre's cost.

According to the DPR, Phase-3 of the metro project will span 44.65 km and consist of two elevated corridors with a total of 31 metro stations.

The first corridor, known as Corridor-1, will stretch for 32.15 km along the western side of the Outer Ring Road, connecting J P Nagar fourth phase to Kempapura.

This corridor will have 22 stations and will also be linked to the Airport Line. The second corridor, Corridor-2, will cover a distance of 12.5 km from Hosahalli to Kadabgere on Magadi Road, featuring nine stations. Additionally, there will be intersections with other metro lines at five stations.

According to The New Indian Express report, BMRCL is currently reviewing the revised DPR. It is highly likely that the revised DPR will be approved by the authorities and subsequently submitted to the MoHUA next week.

The project will require a total of 113 acres of land, with 85 per cent of it being government-owned. Originally set to be completed by 2028, traffic estimates indicate that the metro system is expected to cater to approximately 9.12 lakh passengers daily by the year 2051.