Connectivity woes cloud KIA T2 convenience quotient

Elusive synergy of modes

Last week, amid traffic restrictions and diversions enforced in connection with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the Kempegowda international airport (KIA), one question which defined the passenger mood was: how do I get there?

The question on the alternative road is familiar, with no real answer in the making: a discussion point since the 2008 inception of the airport, located about 35 km from the city.

That the question was in circulation on a day the PM inaugurated the airport’s second terminal – estimated to add 25 million passengers a year – should bring in some urgency, but this is Bengaluru, where plans do not always precede the problem.

On Thursday, a day ahead of Modi’s visit, the Bengaluru traffic police restricted traffic on the KIA elevated corridor and earmarked the Hennur–Kothanur–Bagalur–Begur Road as the alternative road, in view of the projected congestion on the at-grade road via Yelahanka.

BBMP chief engineer B S Prahlad calls the Bagalur–Begur Road the original ‘escape route,’ mooted to beat congestion on Ballari Road.

Watch | A look at Bengaluru's new airport terminal

“It is now a busy road. There are concerns over the road’s quality and there are safety issues which we are addressing at our end. Regarding the bottlenecks that lead up to Hebbal, projects have been lined up to ensure that we are prepared to meet the airport traffic projections,” Prahlad said.

The BBMP has proposed four grade separators at Basaveshwara Circle, Windsor Manor Junction, Kaveri Theatre Junction and Mehkri Circle.

Improving existing road infrastructure and fixing alternative roads come with limitations in offering long-term connectivity to the country’s third busiest airport which is on expansion mode.

Progress in public transport projects aimed at improving airport connectivity and critical in freeing up road space has remained tardy, leaving fliers dependent on private vehicles and taxis.

The 20.11-km Hoskote Budigere cross–KIA road constructed by the Karnataka Road Development Corporation Limited at Rs 254 crore is among the projects envisioned to offer easier connectivity to KIA.

Some of the projects, implemented by individual agencies and delayed by disputes over land and compensation, lead to another question – what do we need? more roads, better roads or sustainable transport modes that supplement the roads?

Multimodal switch

Activists for sustainable transport see policy gaps in implementation of the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) by the Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Ltd (KRIDE).

The project, set for a 2026 launch, will see work on the KIA corridor – KSR railway station to Devanahalli – only during its second phase.

Low ridership on trains

The South Western Railway-operated trains connecting the city with Devanahalli have reported low ridership due to a combination of factors, including inadequate last-mile connectivity.

The Rs-15,767 crore BSRP is expected to be key in Bengaluru’s big switch to public transport, but rail activists are apprehensive because of the delays.

“The pre-Covid daily average of footfalls (fliers and non-fliers combined) at the airport was about 1.3 lakh. In the next couple of years, this could rise to 2.5 lakh. The new terminal is opening, but there is no concerted effort to improve the commute infrastructure,” Rajkumar Dugar, convenor of Citizens for Citizens, said.

The acute congestion the roads leading to Hebbal are set to experience after the new terminal touches optimal traffic calls for multimodal solutions, urban infrastructure expert V Ravichandar said.

The issues with projects conceived and executed in isolation and the need to design an interlinked transport network are old discussion points too, but what has been missing is a political will to establish an umbrella authority to oversee the projects.

Get on the bus

G Sathyavathi, managing director, Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC), said the well-received bus services between the city and the airport would be augmented in accordance with the rise in passenger traffic at KIA.

“We are looking for a prominent location (at the terminal) where there is good visibility for our shelters. Our team will be sitting with the airport officials to finalise the spot,” she said. At present, BMTC operates 15 routes between the city and the airport.

“The BMLTA (Bengaluru Metropolitan Land Transport Authority) Bill should have addressed these issues, but it is not operational yet. It is time we acknowledged that there is no magic wand and switched to a multimodal approach, with a focus on public transport. The Namma Metro line (Central Silk Board to KIA terminal) and the suburban rail project are already in the works. There are also the bus services that need to be tripled in frequency,” Ravichandar said.