BANGALORE (Metro Rail News): The proposed suburban rail project for Bengaluru, currently at the design stage, is likely to be integrated with at least 10 Metro stations. In the revised detailed project report (DPR), the length and number of suburban stations have been reduced to avoid overlap of the two rapid transit systems.
The yet-to-be-approved DPR, prepared by the state-owned consultancy firm RITES, proposes 57 suburban railway stations covering a distance of 148 km. Besides dropping at least 24 stations from the original report, the revised DPR has also cut down the number of elevated stations from 31 to 22. “The DPR requires approval from the state and the Railway Board.
It will also be submitted to the NITI Aayog. The proposal will then go before the Cabinet for funding,” said Amit Garg, who is heading the special purpose vehicle B-RIDE that will execute the suburban rail project for Bengaluru. While the process of approvals does not follow specific timelines as much depends on political support and administrative clearances, the DPR has set a six-year period for the construction of the project. Land acquisition alone is likely to take about two years. “Operations may not start anytime before 2026,” a senior Railways official said.
Existing and proposed Metro stations at Majestic, Yeshwanthpur, Kengeri, Cantonment, Whitefield, KR Puram, Baiyappanahalli, Jnanabharathi, and Nayandahalli may be integrated with suburban rail stations.
Acquiring land is likely to be a major constraint. The project requires about 100 acres for the construction of additional tracks. “There are a number of private buildings at the edge of the railway boundary on Kengeri — KSR Bengaluru City, also on certain parts between KSR Bengaluru CityCantonment corridor. At some of the places, temples are constructed either within the railway boundary or adjacent to railway boundaries on Kengeri-KSR Bengaluru City section and HebbalBanaswadi section corridors,” the DPR states.
