Bengaluru: BMRCL has insisted that it will stick to its new alignment for Cantonment Metro station, despite protests. At a press meet here on Thursday BMRCL officials cited technical, safety and financial reasons for this decision.
"There are no curves in the new alignment. The speed of metro will be reduced to 30 km/ph if it goes under Cantonment Railway station. The new option will reduce travel distance by 800 metres and cut travel time by two minutes. The cost will also come down by Rs 1,000 crore," said Pradeep Singh Kharola, BMRCL MD.
When asked why the 125-degree sharp curve near Hoodi station was not an issue, he said the situation was different in elevated corridors.
As for connectivity, Kharola said, "The length of railway platform is 800 metres. There will be a travelator within a subway of 150 metre length. It will start from Madina playground and reach the train platform. Moreover, SWR is developing suburban terminal here, which will integrate with metro when the new platforms are built."
The Municipal office near Madina playground will be acquired and the playground will be subsequently restored, he assured.
Tunneling hazard
"When tunneling was being done under City railway station, the mud caved in. The Railway board has since made it a pre-condition that underground metro lines below rail line must be 30 feet deep," Kharola claimed.
He informed that the TBMs of Phase 1 broke down for an 800 metre length. With the old Cantonment alignment, the TBM will have to go through 40 metre depth and cover 1.8 km, whereas the new line is only 15 metres deep. "If there is another TBM breakdown, we will have to demolish the area." he noted.
There was also a risk of encountering hard rock terrain and ground water leaks with the old plan, he added.
Airport connectivity
"The DPR for Airport line has been prepared by BMRCL's in-house team and sent to State Government for approval. We are passing it around to all the Ministers. Within a month we should get Cabinet approval. The train will travel at 100 km/hr, in 80- 90 second frequency," said Mahendra Jain, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development Department.
When questioned about why the alignment changes were not part of the DPR and why the document is not public, Kharola said, "DPR is made by general consultants, with an overall view. These changes come up for engineering details, which our technical experts spot later. The cost remains the same."
"The DPR of Phase 2 cannot be revealed for proprietorial reasons. We have a commercial agreement with Delhi Metro who made the DPR. It may be misused if revealed," Kharola said.
BMRCL informed that K.R. Puram has five acres for interchange station. A 60 metre long foot over bridge, already at concourse level, will connect the railway station to metro.
