The Asian Development Bank (ADB) has approved a loan for the construction of the metro line to the Bengaluru airport even though the project is yet to be finalized by the Union government, given that the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited is jointly owned by the Union government and the state government. Incidentally, the airport line of the metro was first proposed in 2017.
ADB In a statement on Tuesday said that they have approved a $500 million loan to construct new metro rail lines in Bengaluru, India. The project will involve construction of two new metro lines, mostly elevated, with a total length of 56 kilometers, along the Outer Ring Road and National Highway 44 between Central Silk Board and Kempegowda International Airport. 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. The needs of vulnerable groups, such as the elderly, women, children, and persons with disabilities, will be integrated in the design of the facilities, the statement added.
However, the latest formal statement on the subject was in September when Union Housing and Urban Affairs Minister Hardeep Singh Puri told the Parliament that the project’s fate rests on the feasibility of the project and availability of resources.
"Metro rail projects are cost-intensive which requires extensive inter-ministerial consultations and their approval depends on the feasibility of projects and availability of resources. No time limit can be specified for sanction of the project," Puri said in his written reply to BJP Rajya Sabha member KC Ramamurthy’s question on the project.
Speaking to TNM, Ajay Seth, senior IAS officer and BMRCL MD said this approval process won’t impact the company’s finances in any way. “The loan is for Phase 2A and 2B, i.e. the Outer Ring Road-Airport line. The loan agreement will be signed after the government gf India gives approval, which is expected in next few months. The work will start only after that,” he said.