Tamil Nadu presses ahead on Hosur-Bommasandra metro despite technical rejection

Tamil Nadu Finance Minister N. Marie Wilson said on 5 August that the state is pursuing a 23-kilometre metro link between Hosur and Bommasandra in Karnataka with both the central and Karnataka governments, Swarajya reported. The proposed corridor would have 12 stations, with about 11 kilometres in Tamil Nadu and 12 kilometres in Karnataka, aimed at commuters between Hosur's industrial hub, home to companies including TVS, Ashok Leyland and Titan, and Bengaluru's Bommasandra area. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited had rejected the proposal earlier in the year, citing incompatible electrical systems: Chennai Metro Rail's planned 25kV AC overhead traction versus Namma Metro's 750V DC third rail. Tamil Nadu has suggested building to the border and linking two separate stations near Attibele with a foot overbridge instead of a continuous line. The announcement coincided with an update that Chennai Metro Phase II, a 118.9-kilometre, three-corridor project costing an estimated Rs 63,246 crore, is progressing at full speed, Wilson said.