Bengaluru’s long-awaited airport line metro to open in two phases by 2026: Report

Airport line is expected to become operational between June and September 2026, with the Hebbal–KR Pura stretch slated to follow a few months later.

Published on: Nov 29, 2024, 08:31:45 IST

By HT News Desk

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The Bengaluru Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) plans to open the much-awaited Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) Terminal–Hebbal section of the Blue Line by mid-2026, Managing Director (MD) M Maheshwar Rao has announced.

The Blue Line, is primarily an elevated corridor with a few exceptions. (Representational Image) (HT_PRINT)

According to a report by Moneycontrol, Rao stated that the section is expected to become operational between June and September 2026, with the Hebbal–KR Pura stretch slated to follow a few months later, likely by December.

The decision is expected to benefit airport-bound passengers, who can travel to Hebbal and switch to the airport Metro line, bypassing toll taxes for road travel.

Regarding the Bettahalasur Metro station, discussions are ongoing with Embassy Group, which had signed an agreement in 2020 to fund its construction at an estimated cost of ₹140 crore, the report added.

According to the report, BMRCL has yet to reissue tenders for architectural finishing works for stations after cancelling the previous ones. Civil work at Chikkajala and near the IAF station in Yelahanka is also progressing at a slow pace.

The Blue Line, is primarily an elevated corridor with a few exceptions. It includes an at-grade (surface) section near the airport and two short underground stretches, one near the Jakkur Aerodrome and another at the Yelahanka Air Force Base (AFB). The line features 30 stations in total, with the two airport stations expected to be either at

(Also Read: Bengaluru Metro's Hebbal-Sarjapur line gets green signal from finance department: Report)

2025 target missed

Early this year, Karnataka Deputy CM DK Shivakumar had said that the government aims to wrap up phase 2 of Namma Metro construction by 2025. He had also said that he directed BMRCL officials to speed up the airport route metro line construction.

New metro line

Meanwhile, Bengaluru is set to welcome a new metro line linking Sarjapur and Hebbal via the city center, following the state Finance Department's recent approval.

This will be Namma Metro’s Phase 3A which will be 36.59-km line, will connect southern and northern Bengaluru. The Detailed Project Report (DPR) will be placed before the state cabinet by the end of this month, officials said as reported by the publication.

(Also Read: Bengaluru Metro’s green line extension opens)

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HT News Desk
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