Five companies submit their bids for BMRCL’s airport line

Bangalore International Airport Limited to build two metro stations close to airport

Five construction companies submitted their bids for the construction work for a 37-kilometre metro line. This metro line will run between Kempegowda International Airport and KR Puram. Only three of these firms bid for its first package. The third package, which includes fewer elevated stations and is easier to undertake, received a better response with five companies participating in the bidding.

The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) may take a few months to complete the technical evaluation of these companies before reviewing the bids to identify the lowest bidder.

Out of these companies, some formed a joint venture (JV) to participate in the bidding. The companies include, Shankara Narayana Constructions (SNC), Cherian Varkey Construction Company (CVCC), GR Infra Projects and Gulermak.

Afcons Infrastructure, NCC Limited and SNC-CVCC (JV) have submitted their bids for all three packages. ITD Cementation India participated in only one package. The lowest bidders in each package will be given between 24 and 27 months to complete the work.

The first package (11-kilometre stretch) involves the construction of the most number of stations and a 650-metre link line to Baiyappanahalli. This work is estimated to cost Rs 639.95 crore. This package includes eight stations: Kasturi Nagar, Horamavu, HRBR Layout, Kalyan Nagar, HBR Layout, Nagawara, Veerannapalya and Kempapura.


The second package (11.67-kilometre stretch) will be an elevated corridor with five stations. The stations include: Hebbal, Kodigehalli, Jakkur Cross, Yelahanka and Bagalur Cross, including a 250-metre pocket track. The project is estimated to cost Rs 645.30 crore.

The third package (15-kilometre stretch) is estimated to cost Rs 620.88 crore. Contractors believe that there are two reasons that the third package received a better response from bidders. One being that its elevated section is closer to the airport. The second being that the stretch includes only two elevated Metro stations (Bettahalasuru and Doddajala) and a 718-metre stretch to be cut and covered in front of the Yelahanka Air Force Station, which is not as complex as underground work.

The distance planned between the two stations was supposed to be less than 1.5 kilometres along the Outer Ring Road. However, it could be increased to anywhere between 2 and 4 kilometres once the elevated stretch takes a turn at Hebbal towards the national highway that goes up to the airport. This is being done to cut costs by not building additional stations in areas that have not seen much development. It is learned that these two stations will be built by Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL).

It may be recalled that the date of the submission of bids has been postponed at least nine times over the last one year as BMRCL had not received approval for the Phase II A and B projects from the Union Government. The bids for the civil works were invited last year, in July.