Bengaluru Metro’s Interchange Station May Get Delayed
The ambitious Phase 1 of the Namma Metro mass rapid transit system in Majestic, which is the intersection of the east-west and north-south routes, has hit a roadblock in terms of work and its completion could be deferred to 2016.
In terms of completion, the metro is 65 per cent done, with the base slab and track laying set for the East-West Corridor. At present, the target in terms of excavation is 30,075 cubic meters, out of which 24,751 cubic meters is complete.
The Majestic station is planned as the interchange station, where commuters will transfer from the Purple Line to the Green Line. The three-tier underground interchange station also passes through the center of the city, right where many important city bus and railway stations are situated.
There have been new problems related to work, with the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) beginning work elsewhere in 2003 instead of on the strategic interchange and contracts meted out were awarded only in 2012.
Issues with metro interchange construction
There are two major issues with the construction of the interchange. One is that the terrain is hugely problematic due to the rough terrain, which is being excavated under a lake bed and drilling is a huge problem. The technology used to raise a structure on such an incompatible terrain is proving to be a huge hassle. The second problem is the issue of timing the completion of this station with the completion of the other stations, as this interchange is a nodal point.
In terms of terrain, finding ways to plug water holes and firming the ground were huge deterrents. Added to this, the contractors and sub-contractors are not used to this kind of work and the consultants at BMRC, despite possessing the knowledge on the same, cannot handle the equipment in person.
With the first team failing to handle the technology, a second team has been commissioned to begin the work, even as the project is slipping into delay. In fact, the BMRC wants to start operations on at least a part of the interchange, more specifically the lower part of the three-tier station. The above two levels are undergoing major construction. The split-level station will have its first level for ticket counters and automatic collection gates for fares. The middle level will have the North-South corridor running from Hesaraghatta and Puttenahalli. The plan is to lay the tracks, electrify them and then the functioning of the trains from the eastern corridor to the western corridor, from Byappanahalli station to Nayandahalli station and Mysore Road respectively. This partly functional metro will open in March 2015.
The interchange enables commuters to switch from East West to North South corridors. It is also planned to blend in with city-based stations. In fact, the Godavari tunnel boring machine (TBM) has been crucial in the metro work at Majestic and work got delayed when it hit hard rock during excavation work at 60 feet below ground level, delaying the project by six months. This comes close on the heels of the Krishna TBM that got stuck in the KR Market metro. With the Godavari TBM breaking down, a temporary shaft has been constructed to restart the TBM. The construction of the train station is presently going on below the Tank Bund Road, which was once a tank bed with water that went four meters below the ground. The contractors are anxious that no damage is caused to the water tanks, one belonging to the railway line and another to the BWSBB.
People in the vicinity and the city-dwellers are keen for the interchange to be built soon and are hopeful that the metro will decongest Majestic and reduce parking and pollution problems in the area.
Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation, Bangalore Namma metro work, Namma Metro, Namma Metro Bangalore, Tunnel Boring Machine
