Offline and on-line campaigns carried out by residents and rail activists in Bengaluru compelled each the State and Union governments to approve the suburban rail undertaking within the metropolis. The Centre gave its nod to the undertaking in October 2020. On June 20, 2022, the suburban rail community will inch nearer to turning into actuality as Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the muse stone for the undertaking.
The undertaking, which includes 4 corridors and is estimated to price ₹15,767 crore, might be carried out by Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Ltd. (Okay-RIDE), a three way partnership of the State authorities and the Ministry of Railways.
In Phase I, Okay-RIDE will take up the civil works of Corridor – 2, named Mallige; this community might be constructed from Baiyappanahalli to Chikkabanavara. The remainder of the three strains — KSR Bengaluru to Devanahalli, Kengeri to Whitefield, and Heelalige to Rajankunte — might be taken up for development at a later stage.
A Okay-RIDE official stated civil works would initially begin from factors similar to Hebbal, Yeshwantpur, and Banaswadi. The Mallige line can have a community of 25 km and 14 stations will come up at numerous factors alongside the alignment. Asked whether or not Okay-RIDE has issued work orders to the development firm chosen to implement the undertaking, the official stated, “For some components work orders have been issued and the rest are in progress.”
The official added that Okay-RIDE was already in possession of a majority of the land to implement the undertaking and personal land, to the extent of 12 acres, was being acquired by the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board. The official maintained that approval had been sought from South Western Railway (SWR) on design, integration, and different features.
Integration with different modes of transport
As the town readies for an additional choice for mass transport, it’s the non-integration of a number of modes of transport programs and the absence of easy accessibility factors which have been the bane for commuters. At Majestic, passengers are but to seek out seamless entry factors connecting the metro station, railway station, and bus stands.
More than a decade in the past, the Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC) had proposed to construct a multimodal transit centre at Majestic to attach numerous modes of transport, however the proposal nonetheless stays on paper. It has been years for the reason that operation of Namma Metro from Yeshwantpur commenced, however the authorities are nonetheless shopping for time to hyperlink it with the railway station. One extra instance is the not too long ago commissioned Sir M. Visvesvaraya Terminal, a state-of-the-art airport-like facility for which the Railways spent ₹314 crore. Optimal utilisation of the terminal might be potential solely when the authorities provide you with a complete street community plan and combine the station with S.V. Road Metro station positioned shut by. Non-availability of street community was one of many components that delayed the opening of the terminal for public use.
Railway activists are demanding that Okay-RIDE and different businesses similar to Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd. (BMRCL), the SWR, Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation, and the KSRTC ought to plan higher, connecting numerous modes of transport. As per the detailed undertaking report ready for the suburban rail undertaking, inter-modal integration has been deliberate at places similar to Kengeri, KSR Bengaluru, Cantonment, Baiyappanahalli, and Chikkabanavara.
The Okay-RIDE official stated, “Many rounds of deliberations have happened on integrating various modes of transport. The Mallige suburban rail network, for example, will be linked with other modes of transport at Yeshwantpur and Hebbal.”
Anjum Parwez, BMRCL managing director, instructed The Hindu: “The proposed suburban rail network and other modes such as metro should complement each other. For that to happen, ensuring seamless connectivity is very much essential by providing footbridges and travalotors. We have had multiple deliberations in this regard.”
The Namma Metro alignment will meet the suburban community at numerous factors within the metropolis, similar to Cantonment, Baiyappanahalli, and Hebbal (underneath Phase III).
Air-conditioned, metro-like trains
As per the mandate given, Okay-RIDE will contain non-public gamers within the operation of metro-like AC trains. However, a bit of individuals argues that working solely AC coaches and amassing fares on a par with metro fares will go in opposition to the curiosity of most people. They say suburban trains needs to be made extra inexpensive by working non-AC coaches.
Bringing the undertaking in six years
The implementing company, Okay-RIDE, has a goal to convey the suburban rail undertaking in 2,190 days (six years). Will Okay-RIDE have the ability to meet the deadline is the large query. An SWR official stated, “The suburban rail project comes with various challenges, prominent among them is K-RIDE building its network along the one that is operational. This itself is a huge task. In densely populated areas along the Kengeri–Whitefield line, especially in the central business district, there are several buildings located on either side of the tracks. Shifting of utilities in such places will likely involve challenges.”
Rail activist Sanjeev Dyamannavar stated, “The suburban rail project is a long-pending demand. Unfortunately, successive governments failed to implement the project. Way back in 1998, surveys for providing local trains for the city were conducted, but the proposal faced several hurdles for over two decades. When the Central government gave the green signal for implementing the project in 2020, everyone expected that it would be expedited, but that did not happen. All the authorities concerned should work in unision to make suburban rail network a reality as early as possible.”
Future growth
The DPR ready for the undertaking states that although the suburban rail community is restricted to Bengaluru metropolis limits, it may be prolonged contemplating the longer term ridership as soon as the strains grow to be operational. It states that KSR Bengaluru to Devanahalli line could also be prolonged as much as Chickballapur, Baiyappanahalli to Chikkabanavara line could also be prolonged as much as Tumakuru, Kengeri-Whitefield line as much as Ramanagaram on the south-western facet and Malur/Bangarpet within the north-eastern facet. The Heelalige–Rajankunte line could also be prolonged as much as Doddaballapur on the northern facet and as much as Hosur on Heelalige facet.
Source: www.thehindu.com
