RailEnquiry

BANGALORE: Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation (BMRC) might still be stuck with the pre-feasibility study on extending the Metro till Bengaluru International Airport (BIA). But the BIA has already chalked out an elaborate plan to welcome the Metro right at its front door. The BIA will accommodate the upcoming 'High Speed Metro Connectivity' near the terminal, as part of its Phase II expansion plan. The BIA authority, in its Environment Impact Assessment (EIA) for Phase II submitted to the state government recently, said the Metro line would enter the airport from the west and run in the vicinity of the main access roadway. The EIA will be followed with a public hearing, after which it will get final approval.

The current plan for the Metro station assumes that underground walkways will connect the station to Terminal 1, and one underground station will be located within the terminal area and serve both the existing and upcoming terminals, the report said.

A senior BIA official said Metro connectivity till the heart of the terminal means passengers from the city can just hop off the Metro and board their flight after going through the security checks. "A state-of-the-art baggage tunnel (from Metro station to terminal) will assist passengers in easy boarding," he added.

Roads to the airport

A copy of the EIA report, available with TOI, says there are plans to improve road connectivity to BIA.

* Currently, NH-7 (Bellary Road) is the single major arterial road providing access to BIA-bound traffic

* Envisages two more access roads - a six-lane divided road from the Southwest and another from SH-104 on the East

* The new roads will cater to eastern section of BIA, comprising cargo, MRO and proposed commercial development

Not just an airport

Phase II expansion comes with a number of non-aeronautical development activities spread over 1,011 acres. It will include amenities like hospitality, entertainment, healthcare, business park, institutional, recreation and commercial facilities, convention centre etc. The proposed non-aeronautical development will support and complement aviation operations.

New-look terminal 1 by October

In 2010, BIAL started augmentation of the existing infrastructure to enhance passenger handling capacity from the existing 11.4 Million Passengers Per Annum (MPPA) to 17.2 MPPA.

A BIAL spokesperson said Terminal 1 (T1) would be open to passengers in a phased manner from October. The highlight of the expansion would be Airport Operational Control Centre, which acts as a nerve centre in monitoring airport activities on a real-time wall monitor. T1 expansion comes with additional check-in counters for passengers, seating capacity and other amenities on a floor area almost double the existing one.

Bigger, better BIA

* After expansion, BIA will cater to 55 million passengers per annum and about 1 million tonne of cargo by 2029-2030

* A new south parallel runway -- 4,000m long and 60m wide -- will support Code F aircraft and be CAT IIIB compliant to operate in low-visibility conditions

* Terminal 2 to accommodate domestic and international network airlines with a space of 3,65,500 sqm dedicated to passenger facilities