Phase 3 Shovels Ready: BMRCL Floats First Civil Tenders for Bengaluru Metro Expansion

Bengaluru’s most ambitious metro expansion is moving from drawing board to dirt. BMRCL has floated its first-ever civil construction tenders for Namma Metro Phase 3 — and groundwork is set to begin this very month.

What the first Phase 3 tenders cover

BMRCL has issued open e-tenders for three civil construction packages spanning 18.581 km of the Phase 3 network, with a combined estimated value of ₹4,187.41 crore. The packages primarily cover the Orange Line stretch along Magadi Road — Corridor 2’s 12.5-km link between Hosahalli and Kadabagere.

Floating tenders is the key procurement milestone that turns an approved project into an active construction site. With bids evaluated and contractors shortlisted, BMRCL expects groundwork to begin in June 2026, making this the moment Phase 3 officially transitions from planning to physical reality.

The full Phase 3 picture

Phase 3 is a 44.65-km, ₹15,611-crore expansion built around two corridors. Corridor 1 runs 32.5 km from JP Nagar 4th Phase to Kempapura along the western Outer Ring Road, while Corridor 2 covers 12.5 km from Hosahalli to Kadabagere on Magadi Road — together adding 31 new stations to the network.

When Phase 3 is complete, Namma Metro’s network will stretch to over 220 km, placing Bengaluru among the largest metro systems in India. The Outer Ring Road corridor will also carry the city’s first double-decker viaduct, stacking metro rail above a road flyover on the same structure.

What commuters should watch through 2026 and beyond

Construction on Phase 3 is targeted for completion by May 2031. Pre-construction work — land acquisition, tree translocation and utility shifting — is already underway across both corridors, though officials have noted it is progressing more slowly than hoped in some stretches.

For commuters, the tender milestone is the start of a five-year clock. Progress updates, contractor appointments and construction milestones will now follow in steady succession. Neighbourhoods along the ORR and Magadi Road corridors — today plagued by some of Bengaluru’s worst congestion — are the ones to watch most closely.