Bengaluru metro's new lines to gather pace with fresh budget funding

BENGALURU: Bengalureans, tired of inordinate delays in completion of Namma Metro projects, got a piece of good news on Monday when finance minister Nirmala Sitharaman announced an allocation of Rs 14,788 crore for the Phase II of the metro project.

The support is expected to give fresh momentum to the project, some phases of which have been pending for approval for the last two years.

The allocations have been made for Phase IIA and IIB projects covering a length of 58 km. While the Phase IIA passes along Bengaluru’s tech corridors of Outer Ring Road from Silk Board to KR Puram, Phase IIB line connects KR Puram and Airport.


“A major step towards the goals of Bengaluru Mission 2022 to enable faster commute and smart mobility options in the city. Finance Minister Smt @nsitharaman announces Namma Bengaluru Metro Phase IIA and IIB at a cost of 14,788 crore,” Bengaluru Central MP PC Mohan tweeted soon after the budget announcement.

The detailed project report for Phase II project was drafted in 2011. The inordinate delay in implementation has made the project expensive for the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd due to the heavy cost incurred for land acquisition.

In December 2020, the Asian Development Bank (ADB) approved a loan of 500$ million (Rs 3,685 crore) for the project.