Bengaluru Namma Metro Phase 3A will shorten underground stations by 40m after a ₹2,920-crore cost reduction; Systra’s redesign keeps six-coach 135m platforms and speeds project start.
Bengaluru Namma Metro Phase 3A
Bengaluru’s long-awaited Namma Metro Phase 3A has been redesigned to trim costs — underground stations on the Red Line will now be 40 metres shorter than originally planned after authorities cut an estimated ₹2,920 crore from the project budget. The 36.59-km Red Line will still link Sarjapur in the south-east to Hebbal in the north and pass through the Central Business District, but station designs and tunnelling estimates have been optimised to control costs.
The project’s original Detailed Project Report (DPR) — approved in December 2024 — had put Phase 3A at ₹28,405 crore (about ₹776 crore per km), making it the costliest metro phase proposed for the city. The Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs asked BMRCL to review the figures after finding them well above national benchmarks; in response, BMRCL engaged French consultant Systra to reassess the design and recommend savings.
Systra’s draft recommendations included shortening underground station shell lengths from 210 metres to 170 metres by reconfiguring operational rooms while preserving a 135-metre platform adequate for six-coach trains — an approach that trims tunnelling and station civil costs without affecting passenger capacity. The tunnelling cost estimate was also revised downward in the review, reflecting the optimisations proposed. Officials emphasised route alignment and systems will not change.
