Express News Service announced that Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) plans to start a fresh pre-feasibility study for a metro link to the BIA next week. “We had received the government order to start the study over a month ago,” said senior official of RITES. RITES provides engineering, consultancy and project management services in the transport infrastructure sector.

RITES has done a pre-feasibility study for the same link in 2003. With a growth in air and road traffic and changes in other parameters, a fresh study is needed, official explained.

The state cabinet, during its recent meeting in Belgaum, had approved the HSRL proposal at a revised cost of Rs 4,332 crore. The original cost of Rs 3,800 crore was estimated in the detailed project report prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC), which is the consultant for the project.

The two proposals - HSRL from BRV Parade Grounds and a metro link from Byappanahalli - have always been considered as alternatives to each-other to provide fast access to the airport.

A strong critic of the HSRL project and advisor to government of Karnataka on traffic, transportation and infrastructure, Prof. M N Sreehari, said, “Once the HSRL comes up, there is no point in constructing a metro link to BIA. It will be duplication.”

However, Sreehari said that there were possibilities that the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation and HSRL promoters could come together to provide the fast link to BIA.

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