RITES has found the revised Phase 3 project economically viable with a 15.9% EIRR, clearing a key hurdle for the Centre's nod. Here is what the 44.65-km expansion means for commuters on the Outer Ring Road and Magadi Road corridors.
Bengaluru's metro network is poised for its biggest leap yet. The Central government is expected to approve Namma Metro Phase 3, a two-corridor expansion that would add 44.65 km and 31 elevated stations to a city where traffic congestion has become a daily ordeal for millions.
The project had stalled after the Ministry of Housing and Urban Affairs raised concerns about the economic viability of a revised proposal that includes an ambitious double-decker viaduct — a metro rail line running above a road flyover on the same structure. RITES Ltd, the government's transport consultancy arm, has now completed its assessment and found the revised project economically viable, reporting an Economic Internal Rate of Return (EIRR) of 15.9 percent, comfortably above the 14 percent benchmark the Centre requires for metro projects.
Two corridors, one goal: the Outer Ring Road and Magadi Road
Phase 3 comprises two lines. The larger corridor stretches 32.5 km from JP Nagar 4th Phase to Kempapura, running along the Outer Ring Road — one of Bengaluru's most traffic-choked arteries and a lifeline for the IT workforce commuting to Bellandur, Marathahalli, and Hebbal. The second corridor covers 12.15 km from Hosahalli to Kadabagere along Magadi Road, extending the metro's reach into the western suburbs.
Together, the two corridors would serve areas that currently have no metro connectivity at all, offering a genuine alternative to road travel for tens of thousands of daily commuters.
The double-decker question
The double-decker viaduct is the element that sets Phase 3 apart — and the one that has attracted both excitement and scrutiny. Karnataka's state government approved an additional Rs 9,700 crore to accommodate the road flyover beneath the metro viaduct, bringing the total project cost to over Rs 15,610 crore. The argument for the double-decker design is practical: by combining road and rail infrastructure on the same alignment, the project avoids acquiring additional land in a city where every square metre is contested.
Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar has personally urged Union Minister for Housing and Urban Affairs Manohar Lal Khattar to greenlight the proposal, underlining the urgency of getting construction underway.
What it means for Bengaluru commuters
If approved and built on the current timeline, Phase 3 would target completion by May 2031. Construction was initially expected to begin earlier, but land acquisition delays pushed the start to mid-2026. For commuters, the Outer Ring Road corridor is the transformative piece: it would finally give the metro a presence along the stretch where most of Bengaluru's tech workforce travels daily, relieving pressure on some of the city's worst bottlenecks.
- 44.65 km of new elevated metro across two corridors
- 31 new stations, all elevated — no underground sections
- Outer Ring Road corridor (32.5 km): JP Nagar 4th Phase to Kempapura
- Magadi Road corridor (12.15 km): Hosahalli to Kadabagere
- Estimated cost: Rs 15,610 crore (including double-decker viaduct)
- Target completion: May 2031
Phase 3 would bring Bengaluru's metro network past 150 km — a scale at which the system stops being a supplement to road traffic and starts being a genuine alternative. For commuters stuck on the ORR today, that day cannot come soon enough.