India's first underground metro car depot will be built in Bengaluru

MRT Online Desk Posted on: 2022-12-12 07:10:00 Viewer: 10,786 Comments: 0 Country: India City: Bengaluru

Bengaluru, India (Metro Rail Today): The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) has proposed to build an underground metro car depot at Baiyappanahalli, Bengaluru. This will be first time in India where design of an underground metro depot has been proposed.

The depot will have a total of 28 stabling lines (14 stabling lines below the ground and 14 lines at grade) is expected to serve trains operating on the Outer Ring Road (ORR). The depot will be spreaded over 25-acres of the land. The existing yard will be torn down to build the new two-tier facility.

“Such a design was finalised as the terrain on the side of the railway line is much lower than at Old Madras Road. Keeping in mind the train maintenance requirements, the work will be taken up in the second phase. Our immediate plan is to build a stabling yard on the vacant land in the same depot,” said a senior BMRCL official.

"In the first phase, the BMRCL plans to build 16 stabling lines (eight on the ground floor and eight more on the first floor) on the eight-acre vacant land that is located on the side of Old Madras Road. Until this depot is ready, the Kadugodi depot will cater to the Kengeri-Whitefield metro line. We expect the Kadugodi depot to be ready by March next year. The Challaghatta depot may take a minimum of two years to complete,” the officer explained.

BMRCL has already floated tender for the design and construction of metro car depot at Baiyappanahalli. A total of seven bidbers have submitted their bids for building the Baiyappanahalli depot, which will be built in two phases. The technical evaluation of these bids is currently underway.

Besides the ongoing building work of Phase 2B of Bangalore Metro project linking the Kempegowda International Airport, the BMRCL has also started preparatory work for building a depot in Shettigere near Doddajala. Spread over 18 acres, the depot comprises 12 stabling lines.

While the BMRCL has taken custody of 15 acres, the process to acquire three acres is currently in progress. The compensation to acquire two acres has been sent to the senior land acquisition officer (SLAO), while the preliminary notification has been issued to acquire the remaining one acre. The delay was caused after the deputy commissioner, Bengaluru Urban, ruled that the three acres of disputed land does not belong to the government.

A total of eight bidders have taken part in the tender to construct the airport depot.