On drawing board: How about 40-km Metro corridor on NICE Rd median?

BENGALURU: Visualise this: Driving alongside a Metro train for around 40km on NICE Road, connecting Tumakuru Road and Hosur Road.
This could soon become reality if the state govt gives its green signal to a proposal submitted by Nandi Infrastructure Corridor Enterprises (NICE) Ltd (which is implementing Bangalore Mysuru Infrastructure Corridor project in Bengaluru) for a Metro rail line on the median of NICE Road.
The proposal, which comes at a time when Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) is planning expansion of the Metro network to satellite towns and suburban areas by initiating feasibility studies on the same, will reduce travel time and driving fatigue for those trying to reach Electronics City, Bannerghatta Road, Kanakapura Road, Mysuru Road, Magadi Road, and Tumakuru Road using NICE Road.
NICE Ltd associate vice-president (toll operations) Mayukha Devangi told TOI, “We’ve submitted the proposal for a Metro along the median to the government. Since the Metro is already constructed and connected in different radial directions from the Bengaluru central area, the proposal for a Metro rail on the median (on NICE Road) of 40km will connect with the existing Metro. After we submitted our proposal, BMRCL called for a meeting to understand it. BMRCL is assessing the possibility and viability of the project.”
Under phase 2 of the Namma Metro project, BMRCL has built Metro corridors beyond NICE Road at various points. The operational Purple Line has crossed beyond NICE Road on Mysuru Road, and Challaghatta station on the Bengaluru-Mysuru access-controlled highway has been operational since October. On Tumakuru Road side, the extended Green Line has been built across NICE Road, while construction of Madavara station is in progress.
On Kanakapura Road, BMRCL is building a depot near NICE Road as part of the extended Green Line from Yelachenahalli to Silk Institute. On Hosur Road, the Yellow Line has been constructed 4km from NICE Road. To build an elevated corridor across important roads, BMRCL had acquired five acres of land from NICE for over Rs 100 crore.
A senior BMRCL official said, “The proposal is at its nascent stage. Decision on expansion of Metro is taken at the govt level. We’re focused on expediting ongoing projects.” The returns for NICE for allowing a Metro track on the median are not clear.