Underground tunnel work on metro’s Pink Line 95% complete
The Pink Line, spanning 21.26 km and linking Kalena Agrahara to Nagavara, boasts of having the longest underground stretch of Bengaluru metro, covering 13.76 km, alongside a 7.5-km elevated segment; nine TBMs deployed for construction
The Pink Line of Namma Metro has made signi cant progress with over 95% of tunnelling completed. Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) ocials project that the underground section will be fully ready by August, while the entire stretch may be opened in 2025.
The Pink Line, spanning 21.26 km and linking Kalena Agrahara to Nagavara, boasts of the longest underground stretch in Bengaluru metro, covering 13.76 km, alongside a 7.5km elevated segment. This underground portion includes the ambitious task of constructing 20.992 km of twin tunnels.
18 stations
Progress is also underway on the construction of 18 stations, comprising 12 underground and six elevated stations, nearing completion. BMRCL deployed nine tunnel boring machines (TBMs) for tunnel construction. Seven of them (Urja, Varada, Avni, Lavi, Vindhya, Vamika, and Rudra) have successfully completed their tasks. The eighth TBM, Tunga, began its nal drive from KG Halli to Nagavara, spanning 935 metres, on February 2, 2024.
The ninth machine, Bhadra, is currently undertaking its last assignment — a 939-metre northbound tunnel from KG Halli to Nagavara.
Ocials anticipate its completion in the upcoming months.
“In the KG Halli-Nagavara section, the geological composition consists of a combination of weathered rock and sandy silt/clayey sand, facilitating a comparatively smoother tunneling process,” said a senior BMRCL ocial.
Work on this stretch was delayed for years owing to various reasons, including cancellation of tender as bidders quoted exorbitant prices to build the network, policy decisions to change the alignment before the old alignment was
nally approved, and land acquisition, among other hurdles.