(File photo) Bengaluru’s Namma Metro Phase II faces significant delays, with over 40km of the 75km expansion still incomplete nearly a decade after commencement

BENGALURU: Below par, underwhelming: That’s the scorecard for the pace of construction of Namma Metro‘s Phase II. Nearly 10 years after BMRCL began work on Phase II, a substantial portion of the planned expansion remains incomplete.

Of the 75km of new lines planned, more than 40km is still not operational. Prolonged delays, coupled with other factors, have led to a major cost overrun, with the estimated cost ballooning from Rs 26,405 crore to Rs 40,614 crore – a rise of over Rs 14,000 crore.In the same period, the traffic on the road has got worse: In the absence of a robust public transport system, Bengaluru, which had 7.7 million vehicles in 2016, now has 12 million, adding to congestion. And a likely silver bullet – which promises timely commuting, with less uncertainty – is missing. The Phase II project, which received sanction in Feb 2014, involved extending the operational Purple and Green Lines in four directions for a total length of 35km, along with two new lines: Yellow Line from RV Road to Bommasandra (19km) and Pink Line from Kalena Agrahara to Nagawara (21km). BMRCL opened these extensions in phases.The first stretch – Yelachenahalli to Silk Institute (6.3km) – was inaugurated in Jan 2021. The Mysuru Road-Kengeri section opened in Aug 2021, followed by the KR Pura-Whitefield stretch (13km) in March 2023. In Oct 2023, two sections – Baiyappanahalli-KR Pura (2.2km) and Kengeri-Challaghatta on Purple Line – were opened. The Green Line extension on Tumakuru Road from Nagasandra to Madavara (3km) opened in Nov 2024.Regarding the new lines, although the Yellow Line is ready, a shortage of coaches delayed its operation. After missing several deadlines, BMRCL officials plan to open the line initially with just three trains. Pink Line, which includes a 13km tunnel network, has already been postponed to 2026.Multiple factors contributed to delays, including late land acquisition, delays in floating tenders, design changes, financial difficulties causing construction companies to halt work midway and the pandemic, resulting in poor project implementation.For instance, the construction of a double-decker section on Yellow Line was never part of the original plan; the plan to build a double-decker from Ragigudda to Silk Board was added at a much later stage. On the Pink Line, the elevated section from Kalena Agrahara to Swagath Cross Road (7km) saw a contractor abandon the project midway due to financial issues. After a long gap, BMRCL appointed a new contractor to continue the work.It has been eight years, and the project is still under construction.The delay in project execution, rising land acquisition costs, extension of the network by 3km, and construction of new depots all contributed to the steep rise in the cost. Thursday, the state cabinet approved an increase of Rs 9,729 crore for the Phase II.It is reported that the state govt urged Union minister for housing and urban affairs, Manohar Lal Khattar, during his visit to Bengaluru, to approve the revised project cost and sanction Phase III of Namma Metro, extending from Sarjapur to Hebbal.