Bengaluru’s Namma Metro till Tumakuru? Feasibility study draws the roadmap, ET RealEstate
BENGALURU: Dreaming big and beyond Bengaluru, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) recently submitted a draft feasibility report to the state govt, seeking to extend Namma Metro’s Green Line from Madavara (on the outskirts of the city) to Tumakuru, about 2 hours by road. If approved, this would become Karnataka’s first inter-city Metro project.
The proposed 59km corridor includes 25 elevated stations. The alignment begins near the Bangalore International Exhibition Centre in Madavara and passes through several urban pockets of Nelamangala taluk before reaching Dabaspet. In Tumakuru, the line covers both peripheral and core city areas, ending at Naganna Palya. The project aims to serve Vasantha Narasapura Industrial Area.
Preparing a long-distance track is not new for BMRCL, which is currently building Bengaluru’s longest Metro line yet — 58km — from Central Silk Board to Kempegowda International Airport via KR Pura and Hebbal.
With Tumakuru increasingly emerging as an industrial suburb, there have been demands from the industry, politicians and from within the govt to extend Metro services to Tumakuru to boost economic activities. BMRCL undertook the feasibility study based on the state govt’s directive.
Two funding models are on the table: A public-private partnership model, estimated at Rs 20,650 crore, and a special purpose vehicle model with joint funding from the state and central govts, estimated at Rs 18,670 crore.
The draft report confirms the technical feasibility of the project, with some 15,000 passengers projected to use Metro services per hour in one direction — meeting the standard benchmarks. As per the blueprint, initial operation will involve three-car trains running at an interval of 4-5 minutes. Two depots — one each in Nelamangala and Tumakuru — are proposed to facilitate the operations.
By 2032, the corridor is projected to serve 2.8 lakh daily commuters, with ridership projected to hit the 5-lakh mark by 2061. A BMRCL official said the draft report indicates strong feasibility. “Further steps will depend on the govt’s direction,” he added.
Scope for 250-acre real estate development
If the state approves the project under PPP (public-private partnership) model, the consultancy that prepared the report has proposed real estate development in a 250-acre area near Metro stations. This includes both residential and commercial spaces, making the project more attractive for private investment. The state govt and the private partner would need to work out a revenue-sharing model for these developments.
Real estate development has been suggested near five key stations between Madavara and Nelamangala, which has already seen rapid urbanisation, and one in Tumakuru city. The total land required for the project is 470 acres, including land for real estate development.
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