Bengaluru: USD 500 mn loan for 2 metro rail lines approved

Bengaluru: Multilateral lending agency Asian Development Bank (ADB) on Tuesday said it has approved a USD 500 million loan to construct new metro rail lines in Bengaluru.

The Bengaluru Metro Rail Project will establish two new metro rail corridors to augment an efficient and safe transportation system.

The project will construct two new metro lines, mostly elevated, with a total length of 56 kilometres along Outer Ring Road and National Highway 44 between

Central Silk Board and Kempegowda International Airport, ADB said in a statement.

“It will also establish 30 metro stations which will include multimodal facilities, such as bus bays, taxi stands, motorcycle pools, and pedestrian walkways and bridges,” it said.

The needs of vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, women, children, and differently-abled persons, will be integrated in the design of the facilities, it said.

“The project supports the urban transformation of Bengaluru city through a multidimensional approach of urban public transport and urban development. The new metro lines will ease daily travel of commuters and decongest traffic across the city, contributing to overall productivity,” said ADB Senior Transport Specialist for South Asia Kaoru Kasahara.

An additional USD 2 million technical assistance grant from ADB will help the state government formulate urban development plans and their implementing frameworks, focusing on transit-oriented development and multimodal integration.

This will also strengthen the capacity of the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited and other state agencies to implement transit-oriented development and multimodal integration, ADB added.

The population of Bengaluru city is estimated to reach over 16 million by 2030.