I was supremely disappointed on reading this story in today's Deccan Chronicle. A quid pro quo with Bangalore for an elevated metro was to have good looking stations. Now we are going to get eyesores up in the sky, and are not even sure if there will be basic ameneties like lifts and escalators. Can someone on Praja explain the structure of BMRCL and what options we have to force them to stick to their original ideas. There must have been some clause in the concession to prevent deficiency in service and aethetics. http://www.deccan.com/Bengaluru/City/CityNews.asp?#Metro:%20BMRC%20on%20cost-cutting%20spree Bengaluru Sept. 24: The much-touted plan by the Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd high-tech and aesthetic stations on MG Road is not likely to materialise. The BMRCL, which is in cost-cutting mode has been doing a complete turnaround to shelve the earlier plan and have no frills stations. “The present design for all the six stations on Reach One — M.G. Road station at Plaza, station opposite Nalli Silks, Trinity station, CMH Road, Old Madras Road station and Byappanahali have been shelved. All six stations will be ordinary with absolutely no frills. In fact, the earlier proposal had suggested an estimated cost of Rs 10 to Rs 12 crore on each station which was designed by RITES and leading architects of the city. Now the authority wants to spend only Rs 1 crore on each of these stations in a bid to save as much as Rs 50 crore,” said the officer. The authority is also having second thoughts over redoing the promenade which saw over a dozen heritage trees being removed. When contacted, BMRC managing director N. Sivasailam, said, “I don’t know. I cannot answer. There is a board meeting on September 27 and the board will decide as to what to do with the designs and stations. I cannot comment as of now.” According to the earlier plan, all stations were supposed to have distinct, unique architectural features with multiple escalators for entry and exit, kiosks for ATMs and ticketing, coffee shops, bookshops, souvenir shops, lifts with Braille buttons, signage conforming to international standards, heritage of Karnataka depicted in the form of art works and murals, CCTVs for total surveillance, smoke and fire sensors apart from utilities including automatic fare collection. Now, that’s history. Metro: BMRC on cost-cutting spree
Devesh Agarwal
Tragically short sighted decision
Dichotomy !
promenade at MG Road
i can appreciate that the BMRC wants to optimize costs. But the promenade on MG Road is a landmark for Bangalore. BMRC would earn a lot of good will from the public if it returns the promenade, which remains one of the few public spaces in bangalore, in good and usable condition.
about the architecture itself, a few landmark locations perhaps the BMRC can respond to. at places like CMH Rd the facade would be covered by neighbouring buildings, and rationalization is perhaps welcome, but at important places like MG road, Jayanagar stations, where the facade of the station would standout perhaps the stations could be resonant with the local aesthetics.
stairs are more robust and energy efficient, but elevators are convenient for physically challenged. perhaps, they can comeup with graded slopes for access. i am pretty sure, there are cost effective designs that can balance the two. just make sure that the physicaly handicapped and the elderly can access it.
i dunno how to say this nicely, but a robust, functional and appropriatetly aesthetic facility is mch more important than flashy, statement making facility.
then ofocurse, i would urge BMRC to be aggressive to coverage and to be a aggressively pursue every single kilometer of coverage they can obtain. we are a circular land locked city. need more than the radials.
NECESSITY OF AESTHETIC & EXQUISITE METRO STATIONS
Cost cutting
Cost cutting? What for?
Let us understand what they are up to. Is Metro getting pinched for money already? Wasn't this cost of stations figured into the original estimate (and escalations since)?
All of us know the state of such public infrastructure. Go see inside of your neighborhood bus shelter (or bus stop). We certainly don't need gloomy infrastructure, and certainly don't need Metro stations to be that way. Imagine a spanking new metro emerging out of an unpainted, smelly lump of steel and concrete.
We should obtain detailed designs for the metro stations and analyze if they adequately address the needs:
accessibility: how does someone get to the station from both sides of the roads, stairs, escalators, elevators, access to trains, width of the platform
amenities: how many have a place to sit while waiting on a train, rest rooms, water fountains
ticket counters: adequacy, methods, how many can queue up?
interchange points: distance to bus stand, method of transfer, access to drop-off / pick-up types
If above means spending 50cr on each station, so be it! We should stop accepting mediocre plans and designs, just because it costs less...
Thanks,
Ravi
Agree with Ravi
Can we see the stations?
OK....so before we lambast Metro with our queries, can actually ask BMRCL to release "confirmed"artists impressions of how the revised stations will look? That way we can see what the cost cutting is... going by what their sites states Mg Road looks ok to me (below)
So do Jayanagar (I do wish they change the pink!!), R V Road, Ulsoor . Vijaynagar and Mahalakshmi Layout
BUT!!! - CMH road Usloor and trnity circle is a huge dissapointment
IMHO - if they can build somehting that isnt as bad a a concete shed, and need not be a Norman Foster Landmark, it can always be developed further in the years to come. Budget is a constraint, and we must learn to make do with it and find the best within the constraints.
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
1 crore? 10 crore? - confusing news
I am confused now. I saw the RFP/tenders for 3 more stations in papers today - the cost mentioned for 3 stations is Rs 111 crores. Whats this 10 crore and 1 crore Deccan Herald article is talking about?
We are clearly mis-informed here, or those tenders are inflating costs.
I will pull those BMRCL tenders out from papers (scan) and put up a separate post to express my cost confusion.
The stations
landmark 'value' not priority #1
To me, these stations are only as good as their utility as exchange point between busses (BMTC) and trains (metro). Quick entry from one mode and exit into another - thats one thing that must be designed right.
The rest of the jazz can be and will be debated, but honestly, is a distraction right now as it makes us shift focus from utility aspects. If funding is a problem, jazz can be compromized, utility not. If there is spare money waiting to be spent, lets use that to buy/acquire more land around these stations to get get bus-hold and wait areas on both sides of stations, or to design catchment area and redo the bus routes.
Where is transparency and responsiveness?
idontspam...
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
High Tech Aesthetic Masterpieces as Metro Stations
PWD Aesthetics
To give an immediate and visceral understanding of how much the design quality has degraded, I have pasted pictures of the original and the revised concepts for 3 stations in reach 1. The difference in aesthetic quality is obvious and jarring.
Ulsoor Station (original)
Ulsoor Station (revised)
Trinity Circle Station (original)
Trinity Circle Station (revised)
CMH Road Station (original)
CMH Road Station (revised)
For stations in other segments (Reach 2 etc) there were no designs published earlier so no comparison is possible, but the quality is in line with the revised concepts above. A PWD/Public Sector aesthetic that is a hangover from the 70's.
We may not be a China to afford Norman Foster, but all the above (original) concepts were by prominent local firms and are world class.
would like to find out more....
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
Metro Stations!
Don't go by looks, looks are deceptive !
This just keeps getting better!
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore
Wasnt that my point...
can we ask to see scale models of stations?
While it will be terrible to have a PWD style METRO station particularly on MG road, can we atleast ensure that they have taken care of all the utility aspects? Why not ask them to display scale models of the stations, as also of say 50 M radius precincts, bringing out clearly all aspects of pedestrian and vehicular traffic movements, and such other details?
When I recently went to the Shantinagar TTMC, to help my niece catch a Volvo bus to BIAL, I came upon what I thought was a major short-coming in the design. The car parking is on the first-floor. After parking, to get down to the ground level, the only option available is to walk down the ramp, up which you just drove in. Even as we were walking down the ramp, with our bits of luggage, there was a couple walking up with little children on tow, carrying loads of Big Bazaar shopping bags in addition. Just about then, an SUV came roaring up the ramp, causing a bit of a squeeze in the narrow passage, obviously not designed for this mixed traffic, sending the children and the parents into a bit of a panic. All in all, situation cut out for a disaster waiting to happen.
PWD's (as also most government organisation's) idea of architecture is to build a flashy (not necessarily tasteful) facade. It's time the organisation itself is wound up.
Now, the old jail complex became the 'Freedom Park' (yet to be completed) following a fairly transparent ideas/ architectural competition. With that kind of a precedent set, I think we should now be demanding that all future developments relating to public places should go through a similar process.
Prem Chandavarkar, a leading architect of Bangalore, had some time back suggested that we should have something on the lines of what is envisaged at http://www.designtrust.org/home/home.html, in Bangalore also.
Muralidhar Rao
Some videos
Some video + 3D depictions from an enthusiast on youtube
Jayanagar
MG Road
First impressions
KR Road - 50 Trees Axed to give way to Metro
KR Rd - Metro is Elevated
Trees vs Metro
User Interaction Designer
Bangalore