Bengaluru's Kempegowda bus station to get a majestic Rs 1,500-cr makeover

Bengaluru: Kempegowda Bus Station at Majestic, Bengaluru’s iconic transit terminal, is set to be razed for a Rs 1,500-crore redevelopment to meet future needs, officials said.

The Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) appointed Gurugram-based Resurgent India Ltd on November 14 to carry out a Rs 6.5-crore consultancy for the project announced in the 2025-26 state budget.

The agency will study land use, traffic flow and commercial development under a public-private partnership (PPP) model. Its report, expected by January-end, will be placed before the Cabinet for approval.

The KSRTC hopes to call tenders to select a private player in the second half of next year.

Under the plan, both the BMTC and KSRTC bus stations will be demolished, and the combined 32-acre site will be redeveloped into a swanky bus terminal and commercial hub.

KSRTC Managing Director Akram Pasha confirmed the plan, noting that the project would cost approximately Rs 1,500 crore. “It’s still in the planning stage.
The modalities will be finalised in the coming months,” he told DH.

The core idea of the redevelopment is to seamlessly integrate the KSRTC and BMTC bus stations with KSR Bengaluru railway station, the Majestic metro station, the upcoming suburban rail interchange, as well as the surrounding area.

Multi-storey commecial towers will rise at the site, along with retail hubs at the interchange points, a senior KSRTC official said. 

“The private player will invest in the project and share revenue with us as per a mutually agreed formula. We will not be investing anything,” the official added.  “The bus station, as we know it today, will be a thing of the past. It will be transformed into a futuristic hub with better connectivity,” the official explained.  To minimise disruptions in bus operations, the work will be carried out in phases, the official noted. 

For seamless integration, the plan is to directly connect the concourses of the bus stations with metro and railway stations, including a direct passage to the railway station canopy.  The consultant will assess the technical feasibility of these integration points, he added.  Although the bus and railway stations are currently connected via three subways maintained by the civic authorities, passengers find them difficult due to hawking, illicit activities and poor maintenance. 

“In the redevelopment model, the private player will maintain and monetise these interchange spaces,” the official said.  Built on the dried Dharmambudhi lakebed, the bus station opened in 1969. Before that, the city did not have a proper bus station. Buses stopped near Tulasi Thota on Thotada Chatrappa Road to pick up and drop off passengers.

Majestic • 32-acre area spanning KSRTC and BMTC bus stations will be redeveloped under a PPP model   • Bus, railway, metro and suburban stations to be integrated for seamless connectivity   • Pvt agency will build commercial spaces and share revenue with KSRTC/BMTC  • KSRTC bus station has an average daily footfall of 80,000 and the BMTC bus station 5 lakh  • A total of 11,150 buses operate daily. KSRTC runs 2,660 buses, other state RTCs 283, and BMTC 8,200 

Metro has big plans

Namma Metro which has built the city's largest station under a 31920-sqm site at Majestic plans to develop over one million sqm of commercial space and its largest parking facility.