Hebbal hub to integrate metro, rail, road corridors

Lack of integration has been one of the sore points in the otherwise excellent Namma Metro experience. Taking note of the problem, the BMRCL is preparing a long-term plan so that the confluence of different modes of transport will complement each other.

The corporation will get an opportunity to try out the strategy at the busy Hebbal junction, where it is trying to build an integrated transport hub, an idea first floated in the 2019-20 budget which proposed building a multi-modal transit hub. The plan is to integrate the proposed metro line and elevated corridor alongside the existing bus stops and the railway line that passes through the junction.

Last year, the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) changed the alignment of the proposed metro line to airport (Phase 2B), shifting the line to Hebbal following complications in the route proposed from Nagavara.

BMRCL Managing Director Ajay Seth said that instead of just going ahead with their project, the corporation decided to build infrastructure that can accommodate and complement different modes of transport that come together at the junction.

The proposed additional loop to Hebbal Flyover to facilitate vehicle movement from Esteem Mall towards the city has been merged with the six-lane elevated corridor. The planned suburban rail station will also be connected at the Hebbal junction.

In a sign that bodes well for the BMRCL plan, a meeting was held last year to ensure coordination between different agencies and to rule out clashes between different projects.

“We have sought a design whose carrying capacity is not limited to next few years but will be solution for movement of people till 2051," said Seth. "The junction should have seamless integration of different modes of transport. At the same time, the need of other commuters should not be compromised though we have given greater weight to public transport.”

BMRCL officials said the report will be placed before the government for approval following which work can begin on the project. “It won’t affect the airport line for which detailed project reports have been prepared. Only the Hebbal part will be taken up as per the specifications decided by the government,” he said.