Representative image of a metro station.
Credit: DH Photo
Bengaluru: In a significant milestone for Namma Metro, the Karnataka cabinet on Friday cleared Phase 3A, also called the Red Line, which will connect Sarjapur in southeastern Bengaluru to Hebbal in the north.
The 36.59-km project will now go to the union cabinet for approval as the union government holds a 50 per cent equity stake in Namma Metro.
The Centre typically takes a year or more to approve a metro project and may suggest changes in alignment or cost.
According to a senior official in Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL), the union government's approval is expected by December 2025 or even earlier. The project deadline will be five and a half years from the date of approval.
This means the tentative deadline will be 2031 provided the project is completed on time.
Once Phase 3A becomes operational, Bengaluru will have a metro network of 258.79 km.
The state cabinet approval allows the BMRCL initiate discussions with bilateral/multilateral funding agencies for sovereign loans/pass-through assistance (PTA) via the government of India. It will also enable land acquisition, utility shifting, detailed design and other pre-construction activities.
However, actual civil construction (groundwork) can start only after the union cabinet approval.
Speaking to DH, BMRCL Managing Director M Maheshwar Rao described the state cabinet approval as an "important first step" that paves the way for pre-construction activities.
When Phase 3A was first announced, its cost was estimated at Rs 15,000, nearly half of the approved cost.
With the 36.59-km line pegged to cost Rs 28,405 crore, the per-kilometre construction will work out to Rs 776 crore, the most expensive in Namma Metro's history.
According to the first official, Rs 10,485 crore (over 35% of the cost) come from funding agencies. The remaining funds will be contributed by the state and union governments through equity, land acquisition, subordinated debt and GST reimbursement. Land acquisition, estimated at about Rs 5,000 crore, will be entirely funded by the state government.
Phase 3A's Detailed Project Report (DPR), prepared by RINA Consulting SpA, was sent to the state government earlier this year. The DPR reduced the underground section from 17 km to 14.44 km.
All about Namma Metro's Phase 3A
Length: 35.59 km
Connections: Sarjapur to Hebbal
Elevated: 22.14 km
Underground: 14.45 km
Stations: 28 (17 elevated & 11 underground)
There will be five interchange stations (Iblur, Agara, Dairy Circle, KR Circle and Hebbal).