BMRCL confirms revised metro project timeline citing design and funding challenges
The much-anticipated Orange Line Metro project in Bengaluru has already seen its deadline pushed back even before construction begins. Initially expected to be completed by 2030, officials from the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) have now confirmed that the project is likely to be finished only by May 2031. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had laid the foundation stone for the corridor earlier this year on the same day he inaugurated the Yellow Line. However, changes in the construction plan, including the decision to build double-decker corridors to ease traffic congestion, have extended the timeline by a year.
The 44.65-km-long Orange Line will connect JP Nagar 4th Phase to Kempegowda International Airport via Kempapura, and from Hosahalli to Kadabagere in another stretch. The line is being developed in two phases and is expected to take around five-and-a-half years for completion once work begins. The tendering process is scheduled to conclude by November, with construction targeted to commence between December 2025 and January 2026.
The project, originally budgeted at ₹15,611 crore, may see costs escalate by at least 5% due to the delay. A major portion of the funding—₹6,770 crore—is expected from the Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), with a loan agreement likely to be finalized in November. Though the state government had approved the project in 2021 and the Centre cleared it last year, commuters may have to wait longer if unforeseen challenges arise, as witnessed in the Yellow Line’s construction.
