Bengaluru’s metro woes amid Lok Sabha elections: Political parties spar over future course of metro; commuters angry at delay

Citizens of Bengaluru are unhappy this election season owing to the delays in metro construction and in the opening of the new Yellow Line stretch, and the traffic chaos caused by ongoing construction works.

 Citizens of Bengaluru are unhappy this election season owing to the delays in metro construction and in the opening of the new Yellow Line stretch, and the traffic chaos caused by ongoing construction works.

The Namma Metro currently ranks as India’s second-longest operational metro network, spanning 73.81 kilometres. However, commuters have been complaining about the slow pace of construction work on the other phases.

As the Lok Sabha elections approach, commuters are questioning the Central government about the slow pace of metro work. Crucial tech corridors in the city, such as the Outer Ring Road, Sarjapur Road, Domlur, Koramangala, Bommanahalli, and Electronics City, are yet to be connected by metro.

The Comprehensive Mobility Plan (CMP) prepared by the Karnataka government aims to establish a 317 km metro rail network in Bengaluru by 2031. However, given the current pace of work, it seems unlikely to meet this target. 

Both the Congress and the BJP have been claiming success for the Bengaluru Metro project since the launch of the Whitefield-Challaghatta metro corridor (Purple Line) last year.

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya and Deputy Chief Minister and Bengaluru Development Minister D.K. Shivakumar have been sparring over the future course of Namma Metro as well.

Mr. Shivakumar announced plans to expand the metro network to connect towns around the city. Following this, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) issued bids in February this year for consultancy services to prepare a feasibility study report for the expansion of metro rail corridors into the outskirts of the city.