Fliers may have to shell out more to fund Metro to Airport

Passengers using the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) may have to shell out more as air fare in order to fund the construction of a metro line from the city to the airport.

The marginal increase in air fare — expected to b e around Rs 60- 80 per passenger — comes in the wake of the state government asking for an investment of Rs 1,000 crore from the Bengaluru International Airport (BIAL), the airport operator owned jointly by private investors led by the Fairfax Group and the state and central governments. The metro project is estimated to cost Rs 5,950 crore.

The state government on Monday granted administrative approval for the airport metro line and offered to bear 21% of the total cost. While the BIAL will have to bear 16.81% (Rs 1,000 crore), the Centre will share 8.40% (Rs 500 crore) of the project cost

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation will have to raise the rest of the money, amounting to Rs 3,200 crore (53.78%), through debt.

The proposal to levy a fee on air travellers to mop up funds for the metro line will need approval from the Airports Economic Regulatory Authority of India (AERA) — the sector regulator.

An estimate prepared by BIAL indicates that by the year 2020, the number of passengers using the airport would reach 40 million per annum from the current 22.19 million (2016). The metro project — Phase II (B) — is expected to be ready by 2021 and is estimated to carry 1.2 lakh passengers a day, government sources said.

The airport line, which will be extended from Nagawara, will have seven stations.

The alignment starts from Nagawara and goes northward to RK Hegde Nagar. The alignment runs along the Jakkur airport and runs parallel to the Ballari Road all the way up to the trumpet exchange.

According to the detailed project report, the BMRCL proposes to run shuttles from Gottigere to Nagawara and further up to the airport. The trains between Gottigere and the airport would have earmarked areas for stacking heavy luggage. The maximum operating speed of the rolling stock would be around 90 to 95 kmph between Nagawara to the airport terminal station.

The BMRCL has planned a new depot for the metro near the airport to cater to the maintenance requirements along the corridor.