'MG Road-KIA Metro not feasible'

BENGALURU: The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) has said that a metro link between MG Road and Kempegowda International Airport along

Ballari Road

is not feasible.

“It'll not be possible to dig again around MG Road or build a station above the existing Cubbon Park undergound metro station. We can't close the underground station for 5 years because the line is operational already. The MG Road station already links metro's east and west corridors. It's not in the scheme of things planned to have more stations from MG Road or Cubbon Park,“ BMRC MD

Pradeep Singh Kharola

told TOI.

Huge plots will be needed for a terminal station at MG Road or Cubbon Park, which isn't feasible,

Kharola

added.

BMRC sources, however, pointed out that Phase 2 can be extended to the airport. The Gottigere and Nagawara line, part of Phase II, passing through MG Road with an underground station at Brigade Road can be extended further to link the airport, they added.Five of the nine routes proposed by the BMRC link Nagawara to airport.

“We are trying to understand the people's logic on the route they think is feasible to link airport. We will conduct our own tests on the routes most voted for before reaching a decision,“ Kharola said.