LRT alignment to bypass Bangalore varsity campus

Detailed project report expected to be ready by November

The threat to the greenery at the Jnanabharathi campus of the Bangalore University has been averted with the decision to divert the alignment of proposed light rain transit (LRT).

The project was expected to cut through the varsity campus and pass through the new segment of Outer Ring Road extending from Nayandahalli junction. A senior official from the Bangalore Airport Rail Link (BARL) Ltd,  the nodal agency for implementing the LRT project, said as per the detailed project report (DPR) being prepared, there was a suggestion to take the 31.3-km long LRT corridor between JP Nagar and Hebbal, through the Jnanabharthi campus.

“However, we have decided to realign it through the new ORR, as a corridor through the campus will result in cutting of lot of trees,” the official said.

C Jayaram, Director (Projects), BARL, confirmed that LRT won’t cut through the campus. He said the revised alignment extends from Nayandahalli junction to Nagarabhavi Circle and then towards Ambedkar College to reach the old ORR.  The DPR for the project is expected to be ready by November, which will be submitted to the State government.

LRT is proposed to be implemented for a total distance of 41.3 km in two corridors - from JP Nagar to Hebbal (31.3 km) and from Toll Gate on Magadi Road up to proposed Peripheral Ring Road (10 km) on Magadi Road. The estimated cost of the project is Rs 6,400 crore.

An official from BARL said the alignment of LRT was in tune with the Comprehensive Traffic and Transportation Plan. The LRT intersects the Metro corridor and other mass rapid systems for better connectivity. Also, the LRT network was drawn up after a detailed analysis of the Comprehensive Development Plan 2015, traffic density and a field survey, he added.

Once the LRT becomes a reality, the Nayandahalli junction will witness a infrastructure loop of its own with a convergence of multi-modal transport systems. The junction as of now has a railway line passing nearby and two flyovers next to it. A metro station is coming up at Nayandahalli as part of the Reach-2 corridor (Leprosy Hospital to Kengeri).

The BARL officials said the LRT will intersect the Namma Metro at Nayandahalli station before proceeding further. “We believe the Nayandahalli junction will be a junction of possibilities in future and it will look more beautiful than the Hebbal flyover loop along Bellary Road,” said an official.