Bengaluru: 2 Obstacles In Namma Metro Phase III DPR Approval Process

Two specific elements within the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the Phase III project of Namma Metro have caused a delay in approval from the central government, Deccan Herald reported citing officials.

The designated length of the Metro coaches for the Magadi Road section and the axle load of the rolling stock, impacting the overall structural integrity of the project, are the points causing contention.

The state government has revised the DPR and resubmitted it for their consideration.

The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL), in its initial proposal to the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs (MoHUA), suggested deploying six-coach trains for the 12.5-km stretch between the Hosahalli interchange Metro station and Kadabagere on Magadi Road.

However, due to the relatively short length of the elevated track, the Centre recommended using three-coach trains to allow for more frequent service. To align with this recommendation, BMRCL officials have updated the Detailed Project Report (DPR) to plan for three-coach trains. Despite this change, the stations on Magadi Road will retain the ability to accommodate six-coach trains in the future if necessary, the report said.

"The stations on the Magadi road will be wide enough to accommodate six-coach trains but we would initially operate three-coach trains as it did during the Phase I project," the daily quoted Anjum Parvez, managing director of BMRCL, as saying.

The change in the plan will reduce the estimated cost for the project from Rs 15,600 crore to Rs 16,000 crore mainly due to the reduction in the coach length.

Another roadblock that the project is facing is the axle load of the rolling stock. MoHUA has been pushing for a uniform rolling stock specification nationwide, likely to enable the interchange of trains between various Metro systems as required.

However, BMRCL faces a distinct challenge: in the initial and second phases of the Namma Metro project, the stations and depots were tailored to accommodate a rolling stock measuring 2,880 mm with an axle load of 15 tonnes. However, MoHUA advocates for a preferred specification of a 2,900 mm coach with a 16-tonne axle load.

BMRCL officials have urged MoHUA to permit them to maintain their initial specifications, emphasizing higher energy efficiency and the possibility of future interchangeability of rolling stock across various phases of the Metro project.

"The DPR has gone through three to four revisions so far. This experience will undoubtedly aid us in creating an almost perfect DPR for the upcoming Hebbal - Sarjapur Road (Phase III-A) project," a source in BMRCL told Deccan Herald.

The BMRCL plans to submit the DPR in the second week of November to the state government, sources said.