Study on Metro-BIA route starts

Authorities concerned are getting down to brass tacks to consider if extending Namma Metro to Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) is a better option than having high-speed rail link (HSRL) to the airport.

Earlier, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) had proposed extending its service till BIA. The BMRCL had claimed that doing so would cost less than half of what it would require to have HSRL to the airport. In a press release issued on Friday, the BMRCL stated that it would undertake a pre-feasibility study of extending Metro till the BIA. The organisation will also make a detailed project report on the proposed route.

Even traffic experts have suggested that extending Metro to the BIA is a better option than commissioning HSRL to make commuting to and from the airport easy. For Metro to cover the BIA, the BMRCL will have to lay tracks for 23.37 kilometres from Nagawara.

Rail India Technical and Economic Services will finish the pre-feasibility study in six-nine months. It will prepare the detailed report in a year and a half.

The BMRCL has proposed four more routes: outer ring road (Hebbal to Ganapathy temple, Bannerghatta Road via Silk Board and Ganapathy temple, Bannerghatta to Hebbal), Hoskerehalli to outer ring road, peripheral ring road to toll gate and Sarjapura to Yelahanka.