Keeping up with the pace: Bengaluru Airport Metro to clock 60 kmph by 2026

KEY STORY

• With an estimated ridership of 3,00,000, Bengaluru’s Airport Metro is all set to be the fastest train in the city when it opens up to the public in 2026. The speed at which these trains will be running is expected to be almost double the speed of trains moving on other Metro corridors of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL). The trains between Yelahanka and the airport terminal will run at 60 km ph.

• The relatively straight alignment and long inter-station distances, according to the data revealed by the executive summary of the Detailed Project Report (DPR) of Namma Metro’s Phase II-B corridor from KR Puram to the Kempegowda International Airport, have made these high speeds possible. The DPR can be found on BMRCL’s website, and it showcases that a train speed of 60 km ph is significant since the current highest reached by the BMRCL on the existing network is 30 km ph.

• According to a report in the Bangalore Mirror, a detailed simulation test was conducted for the new trains, as mentioned in the document, which revealed that the train speed on the remaining section of Phase II-B between KR Puram and Yelahanka will be just 36 km ph. The document also mentioned that the airport metro corridor’s trains will be put to service such that a limited number of stops with high-speed travel facility will occur from the airport terminal to Hebbal. Frequent services will be provided between Hebbal to KR Puram as per travel demand analysis.

• Details mentioned said, “In all, there are 88 curves and 36.44% of length falls in horizontal curves on the stretch,” as reported by the Bangalore Mirror.

  17 stations are expected to be a part of the entire 37-km network worth Rs 10,584 crore – Kasturinagar, Horamavu, HRBR Layout, Kalyan Nagar, HBR Layout, Nagawara, Veeranna Palya, Kempapura, Hebbal, Kodigehalli, Jakkur Cross, Yelahanka, Bagalur Cross, Bettahalasuru, Trumpet Junction, KIA West, and Airport Terminal. The daily ridership is expected to touch 4.32 lakh in 2031 as estimated by officials.

• The BMRCL will be using a precast pre-tensioned U-girder superstructure to be transported to the site and erected on the spans using road cranes, as per the document.

• Two girders for each span will be provided to cater to the two tracks. The document mentioned that since these units are erected as a single unit per span, the speed of construction for the superstructure becomes very fast compared to the segmental construction. Since the pier cap will have to accommodate two U girders, it has to be wider and hence is made as a precast prestressed unit.

• The latest technology available in signaling and train control, known as the Communication-Based Train Control (CBTC), will also be a part of the stretch. Although the utility is yet to finalise the contractor that will execute these civil works, the BMRCL has already taken possession of the properties needed for the project.

  Metro-cum-Road flyover plan dropped 

   

• The BMRCL’s initial plans to construct a Metro-cum-Road flyover between the Mahadevapura and Ramamurthy Nagar have been dropped due to a lack of space. The revised plan now directs for the construction of two new lanes near Benniganahalli Lake for traffic moving towards the IT corridor or Hoskote from Jyothipuram. An additional lane will be provided to Namma Metro, which has already provided two new lanes near Tin Factory for the traffic moving from KR Puram. The BMRCL is currently occupied with razing properties, and it will begin adding three new lanes in about a month’s time.