Bangalore Metro Phase 1 Extensions
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Written By tsubba - 1 October, 2007
Bangalore
Infrastructure
CTTP
Media Reports
BMRC
Metro Rail
The TOI is reporting that BMRC has decided to add another 8 kms to the existing 33 kms of phase 1 of Bangalore Metro. Extensions to Hesarghatta Rd in the north and Banashankari Layout in the south are approved. Apparently, the logic is to connect all ends of the metro to ORR, so extensions to nayandahalli on the west and upto KR Puram in the east are also approved. 
TOI reports ..
“Around 5.6 km will be the rail length to connect Hesaraghatta Cross, for which a detailed project report has been finalised. Another study is underway to extend the link to Banashankari II Stage with an extension of 2.5 km on the same corridor. On the east-west corridor, a feasibility study has been carried out and plans are on to extend the track up to KR Puram and Nayandahalli. In all, the extended link will connect the catchment areas.”
“The move is to extend connectivity and increase the ridership. The initial figure was pegged at 1 million passengers, per day. But now, it is projected that it would go up by 1.15 million. “Since the Ring Road is connected on all the four terminal ends, it is easier to integrate other modes of transport. A massive work force heads towards Peenya, Yeshwantpur and Whitefield. Metro Rail will be a boon to them,’’ officials said. Earlier, 33 km of total rail length was planned in the Phase I, across the two corridors with north-south of 14.9 km and east-west of 18.1 km with 32 stops. Now, it will be 36 stops with the extended rail length of around 8 km. The Hesaraghatta extension itself will cost the BMRC an additional Rs 900 crore. However, the total cost for the new extensions is yet to be arrived. Each kilometre will cost the BMRC Rs 150 crore, apart from land acquisition costs.”
“The Reach One of Phase I between MG Road and Byappanahalli will be commissioned by March 2010 and the entire Phase I will be opened by December 2011.”
So what do you guys think, until the line gets extended upto ITPL, will extension to KR Puram help in any way? Hopefully, the KR puram extension is beyond the bridge, and does not add to the mess that KR Puram bridge already is. If not then hopefully BMRC takes over that area and does a redesign of the traffic flow in that area. This was an extremely sloppy report from ToI. The original article had all the directions mixed up. Further, Hesarghatta Road extension itself is 5.5 kms and Banashankari extension is 2.5 kms, so how long are the extensions to Nayandhalli and KR Puram? ToI didn’t ask. So have to wait for others to report this or wait for BMRC to update its site to confirm all this.
ToI is also reporting ...
Carbon trading is the latest buzzword and the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRC) has decided to cash in.
It’s expected to generate an annual revenue of Rs 16 crore, which will be ploughed back into the Metro project. The authority will call for request for proposal (RFP) for developing a clean development mechanism (CDM) to prevent carbon from being emitted to the atmosphere. Thus, BMRC will be the first Metro Rail in the world to join the elite club of CDM companies. The authority will register with the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC) and trade in carbon credits. It will invite companies with experience in developing project design, documentation and methodology for transport and energy efficiency. The consultants will assist BMRC in formulating suitable norms, standards and identify buyers.
“We expect to save 1 lakh tonnes of carbon every year and retail in the carbon market through bonds. This is the first time a transport company will adopt CDM technology. The Japan Carbon Fund, based in Tokyo, is interested in being part of the carbon deal, but we are going slow as we will evaluate the pros and cons at a later stage,’’ said BMRC environmental officer C Jayaram.
BMRC is expected to complete phase-I of the Metro by 2011 and make it operational by 2012. A length of 33 km is planned in phase-I and 1 million passengers are expected to benefit from it. For BMRC to trade carbon, it has to have in place design and documentation validated with UNFCCC. The consultant will also develop a software for monitoring, data collection and operations.
What is carbon trading?
Emission trading or carbon trading is an administrative approach used to control pollution by providing economic incentives for achieving reductions in emission of pollutants. In such a plan, a central authority (usually a government agency) sets a limit or cap on the amount of carbon that can be discharged into the air. Companies that pollute beyond the cap must buy credits from those who pollute less than the ceiling or face heavy penalties. This transfer is referred to as a trade. Thus, the buyer is fined for polluting, while the seller is rewarded for reducing emission. Companies that can easily reduce emissions will do so. Those companies that find this harder will buy credits.
Carbon market
Currently, several trading systems are in place, with the largest being that of the European Union. The carbon market makes up the bulk of these and is growing in popularity. The Kyoto Protocol is a 1997 international treaty that took effect in 2005 and currently binds ratifying nations to a similar system, with the UNFCCC setting caps for each nation. Under the treaty, nations that emit less than their quota of greenhouse gases will be able to sell emissions credits.
Carbon emission trading has been steadily increasing in recent years. According to the World Bank’s Carbon Finance Unit, carbon is traded at 26 euros per tonne.
No-one will disagree that they need to extend Metro beyond KR Puram. But that supposedly is planned for Phase II. Getting Metro to touch ORR was more urgent I assume so they are doing that now itself.
Mysore Road Terminal to Nayandahalli (at Ring Road junction towards BSK 3rd Stage) must be around 1.5 kms. Byappanahalli to KR Puram - 4 to 5 kms?? I'm not sure.
So the final phase I length should be around 45-48 kms. If we had a line of around 15 kms length, say Silkboard to Hebbal, we could have had a phase 1 similar to Delhi Metro's phase 1 (it was around 62 kms I think). In comparison, Chennai's proposed metro is greater than 50 kms and Hyderabad Metro phase 1 is 60 kms. We now really need to speed up phase II with extensions to ITPL, Peenya and Kengeri on the phase 1 lines and new lines along Hosur Road, Bellary Road and existing Airport Road. That should make the metro network reach around 100-120 kms, which is a decent length for a Bangalore-sized city.
Tarlesubba, does Praja have any public information on possible Phase II routes and timelines?
find a mention in the
latest progress report up on BMRC website.
"Extension Programmed to extend (a) Yeshwantapur to Hesaraghatta Cross (5.5 Kms) in northand (b) R.V. Road terminal to Banasankari (2.5 Kms) in South. of Metro"
status reported is "DPR under preparation by DMRC."
So I was a bit surprised to see newspapers report extensions in East and West as well. Why do they (newspapers) always tell more than BMRC itself!? Anyway.
The logic of making Metro touch ORR seems good. And that tells me that either the BRTS (Bus rapid transport system) or Mono or both (on ORR) projects might have gotten some steam, and we could soon hear some big announcements there.
Let us see. So much to do and so many exciting possibilities, guys at BMTC and BMRC would be real busy.
It would make sense to start it from ITPL(8Km from byappanahalli) instead of KR puram. ITPL area is very densely populated with big hospitals and hotels along with many industries and residential(appartment) townships
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