K-RIDE moots plan to extend under-construction Bengaluru suburban railway line to 452 kilometers

Bengaluru: Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited (K-RIDE) has prepared a new proposal of 452 kilometres to extend the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) to nearby cities and towns and has sought the approval of the Ministry of Railways to conduct the pre-feasibility study, a state minister said on Monday.

K-RIDE is a joint venture of Government of Karnataka and the Ministry of Railways. It has been mandated with the responsibility of executing the flagship Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP).

Minister for Infrastructure Development, Commerce and Industries M B Patil said the new proposal puts forth the plan to extend the BSRP network to Kolar, Tumakuru, Mysuru, Bangarpet, Hosur and Gauribidanur.

As per the proposal, the extension would be considered as Phase-2 and the total length is 452 km, the minister said in a statement.

According to him, the K-RIDE proposes extending the facility from Devanahalli to Kolar along Corridor-1 (107 km), Chikkabanavara to Tumakuru via Dabaspet along Corridor-2 (55 km) Kengeri to Mysuru along Corridor-3 (125 km), Whitefield to Bangarpet along Corridor-3 (45 km), Heelalige to Hosur along Corridor-4 (23 km) and Rajanukunte to Gauribidanur via Doddaballapura along Corridor-4 (52 km).

Besides, it proposes a new lane ‘Corridor 2A’ from Chikkabanavara to Magadi (45 km).

The existing project of BSRP has four corridors covering a length of 148.17 km under Phase-1. It comprises KSR Bengaluru City to Devanahalli (Corridor 1 – 41.4 km), Baiyappanahalli to Chikkabanavara (Corridor 2- 25.01 km), Kengeri to Whitefield (Corridor 3 – 25.01 km) and Heelalige to Rajanukunte (Corridor 4 – 46.25 km).

The Minister had advised the officials of K-RIDE during the BSRP review meeting held earlier in June to prepare a revised proposal extending the BSRP to include the mentioned places. This would facilitate hassle-free commute for the people and enable industrial development in the region, he had opined, the statement said.

While seeking the approval of the Railway Ministry, it has been mentioned that the Commissioner of the Directorate of Urban Land Transport, which is the nodal authority to regulate and coordinate urban mobility initiatives in the Bengaluru Metropolitan Area, had also suggested K-RIDE to consider extending the current BSRP network from Heelalige to Chandapura, Kengeri to Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout (BDA), Challaghatta and further suggested to start the process of preparing DPR for the extension of suburban rail to satellite towns, according to the statement.