Bengaluru's Suburban Rail Project To Extend Its Network To Mysuru, Gauribidanur And Kolar Regions

The K-RIDE (Rail Infrastructure Development Company of Karnataka) department has announced that the suburban rail project will expand to Mysuru, Gauribidanur, Hindupur, and Kolar areas.

The Infrastructure and Industries Minister of Karnataka, M B Patil, met with K-RIDE officials to review the suburban rail project and instructed officials to extend the rail project to neighboring towns to improve connectivity to the IT capital, reports Hindustan Times.

The decision was aimed at enhancing transport links and increasing ease of travel for those living in surrounding towns.

According to M B Patil, the Bengaluru Suburban Rail project will be a significant solution for the traffic problems of Karnataka's capital.

Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project will link Bengaluru to its satellite townships, suburbs, and surrounding rural areas through a rail-based rapid-transit system network.

With a 10-minute time frequency, it has immense potential and will be a game changer for the suburban areas surrounding the city.

The Suburban Rail Project

On 20 June 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated the construction of the suburban rail network in Bengaluru, with a promise of completing it in approximately 40 months.

The plan outlines constructing a 148.17 km route, at a cost of Rs 15,767 crore — utilising a mix of project financing and land monetisation.

K-RIDE will raise debt funding to the extent of Rs 7,438 crore through borrowings to implement the project. The union and state governments will fund the remaining portion of the project

The commuter rail network will comprise four corridors, 57 stations and almost 60 per cent of the stations are expected to provide multi-modal connectivity to the commuters.

The KSR Bengaluru to Devanahalli line (corridor-1) connects Kempegowda International Airport. “Sampige” is the name given to this line.

The 25.57 km long "Mallige" (Corridor-2) is planned to connect areas between Baiyappanahalli Terminal-Chikkabanavara, comprising 14 stations.

Corridor-3 from Kengeri to Whitefield is the other line whose construction is considered. “Parijatha” is the name of this line.

Corridor-4 — “Kanaka” Line is planned from Heelalige to Rajankunte. There are 19 stations over its 46 km of total length.