Bengaluru: After being delayed many times over, Phase 1 of the Namma Metro is now inching towards completion but the government already appears to be contemplating another rail network for the city – Surface Rail.
Interestingly, Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Limited (BMRCL) is likely to prepare the project report for the Surface Rail. “For a city like Bengaluru, the Metro network alone won’t suffice. We are planning to build a Surface Rail along the proposed Peripheral Ring Road (PRR), so that the city has a circular train network. This will, in turn, be connected to the Metro at strategic points,” official sources told TOI.
However, UDD sources said that the proposal was still on the drawing board. “To start with, we need to tackle all the challenges before going ahead with the PRR. By then, a detailed report on Surface Rail and its feasibility would be ready, and we could propose it to the government. It’s too early to talk about the cost,” the official said.