Hebbal Metro Bottleneck Pushes Full Airport Corridor Launch to March 2028

Complex structural work along the Hebbal to Kempapura stretch has emerged as the primary bottleneck on Bengaluru's 58-kilometre Blue Line Metro, pushing the full operational timeline of the airport corridor to March 2028.

Greater Bengaluru Development Minister Krishna Byre Gowda stated that different sections of the 58-km Blue Line are moving forward at varying speeds, meaning the airport line will open in stages rather than all at once.

According to Gowda, the stretch surrounding Hebbal and Kempapura represents the corridor's biggest engineering challenge. Unlike standard elevated Metro stretches, infrastructure in this area is being constructed with structural provisions for the future 32.15-km Orange Line, which is planned to connect JP Nagar 4th Phase to Kempapura across 22 stations.

To prevent future demolition or viaduct reconstruction when the Orange Line is eventually built, engineers are creating an arrangement accommodating four tracks in this critical section. The Blue Line will use the immediate requirements, while the remaining infrastructure will cater to the future line. The complexity is intensified by lines separating, converging, and facilitating interchange connections in the Hebbal-Kempapura area.

Individual sections of the Blue Line are slated to open earlier. The Hebbal to Kempegowda International Airport section is targeted for commercial operations around September or October 2027. However, passengers will not be able to travel directly from Central Silk Board to the airport at that stage due to the pending KR Puram to Hebbal section.

On the southern end, the Central Silk Board to KR Puram section is in an advanced stage. Trial runs between KR Puram and Iblur are scheduled from October this year, followed by trials on the Iblur to Central Silk Board stretch around December or January. Officials intend to open the Central Silk Board to KR Puram stretch for commercial services around the middle of 2027.

Although commuters will gain access to usable segments during 2027, the complete link connecting Central Silk Board directly to Kempegowda International Airport is projected to be ready only around March 2028.