Namma Metro Red Line DPR Revised: ₹2,920 Crore Cut and One Station Axed

Namma Metro's most ambitious corridor just got a significant cost makeover. BMRCL has revised the Phase 3A Red Line DPR — the 37-km Hebbal–Sarjapur line — slashing ₹2,920 crore off the original estimate by shortening underground stations and dropping one stop entirely. But the move has triggered pushback from BJP MPs who say a high-ridership station is being sacrificed for the wrong reasons.

From ₹28,405 crore to ₹25,485 crore — how BMRCL cut the bill

The Phase 3A Red Line, running 37 km from Hebbal to Sarjapur via Koramangala, was originally priced at ₹28,405 crore (₹767 crore per km) — making it the costliest corridor in Namma Metro's history. Faced with pressure from the Centre to bring costs down before CCEA clearance, BMRCL commissioned French engineering consultancy SYSTRA to review the DPR. The result: a revised estimate of ₹25,485 crore (₹688 crore per km), a saving of ₹2,920 crore.

The primary lever was the length of underground stations. SYSTRA recommended cutting each underground station from 210 metres to 170 metres — arguing that since six-coach trains need only 135 metres of platform, the surplus 75 metres was effectively dead space. The shorter caverns reduce excavation and concrete volumes significantly without affecting passenger capacity or operational safety, officials said. Tunnelling costs were separately renegotiated, dropping from around ₹300 crore per km to ₹210 crore per km.

Veterinary College station axed — and MPs are angry

One cost-saving measure has sparked immediate political controversy: BMRCL quietly dropped the Veterinary College metro station, which was planned between Mekhri Circle and Ganganagar near Hebbal. The station was part of the original 28-station DPR but has now been removed from the revised plan, reducing the corridor to 27 stations. Officials say the elimination cuts civil costs, but transport experts note the main driver is unlocking faster central approval — not engineering necessity.

BJP MPs Tejasvi Surya and P C Mohan have publicly opposed the decision. Surya argued that "a station for thousands was removed to accommodate a tunnel for perpetuating car dependency," while Mohan pointed out that the Veterinary College stop was projected to handle 18,303 daily boardings by 2031 — more than some stations that are being retained, including Sarjapur (15,559). The controversy has turned a technical cost-optimisation exercise into a political flashpoint, with commuter groups also calling for the station to be reinstated.

What the revision means for the Red Line timeline

With the revised DPR now submitted, the Phase 3A file is awaiting Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approval at the Centre. Ministry officials have indicated the review process could take up to a year, placing the earliest realistic date for construction mobilisation at late 2027. The 36.59-km corridor will include 14.28 km underground and 23.52 km elevated, making it the network's most technically complex line. Key interchange stations — Hebbal (Blue Line), KR Circle (Purple Line), Dairy Circle (Pink Line), and Agara (Blue Line) — remain unchanged in the revised plan.

For Bengaluru commuters, the Red Line is arguably the most transformative project in the pipeline. It will be the first metro corridor to directly link the northern neighbourhoods near Hebbal with the tech belt running through Koramangala and down to Sarjapur Road — a route that currently has no viable mass-transit alternative. Getting the cost right now, even at the price of one station, may be what finally gets construction started.