BENGALURU: Karnataka is hoping for a slew of much-needed projects and several new trains in the budget to be presented by Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on Thursday.
The last budget by former railway minister D V Sadananda Gowda was generally good for the state, and people are expecting that this year’s budget will be just as important as the last.
Prakash Mandoth, former member of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee for Southern and South-western Railways, says, “We are expecting a lot of new trains, and several projects need to be taken up on a fast track basis.”
“Bengaluru badly needs a new coaching terminal since both the City Railway Station and Yeshwantpur are choked,” he said. “The minister must also focus on connectivity to places of pilgrimage and tourist centres.”
Mandoth said new trains between Bengaluru-Mysuru, Bengaluru-Hassan, and Tumakuru-Davangere as well as a morning train for workers coming from Kalaburagi to the city must be announced this year.
“The minister should not hand over the 24-km rail network in Mangaluru region to Konkan Railway since this would create a problem of funding. Instead, the Mysuru division of South Western Railway must be given charge or a new division must be created,” he said.
The city is also hoping for a swift announcement on the issue of commuter rail since the state government has given its nod to the project. “A Memorandum of Understandig must be signed within a month as all parties are in agreement,” he said.
PRAJA-RAAG, another group in the city working towards implementation of the commuter rail system, has also asked for the approval of the state government’s proposal to implement the Namma Railu project as well as an immediate start to works identified in Phase 1A as per the Detailed Project Report which is almost complete.
What PRAJA-RAAG and a former member of the Zonal Railway Users Consultative Committee want
For Bengaluru City
1. Completion of railway over and under bridges across Namma Railu network:
a) Near Yeshwantpur on Outer-Ring-Road
b) Byappanhalli
c) Rajankunte/Doddaballapur
2. Building more suburban halt stations across Bengaluru city:
a) Prestige Shanti Niketan/ITPL at Hoody
b) Manyata Tech Park near Thanisandra
c) BIA Trumpet
d) Kumbalgod Industrial Area before Bidadi on SBC-MYS line
3. Upgrading of existing suburban halt station with decent passenger amenities:
a) Krishnadevaraya Halt Station
b) Devanahalli
c) Bellandur
d) Jnanabharti-Bangalore University
e) Channasandra
f) Heelilega
g) Anekal
4. Doubling of lines coming into Bengaluru city:
a) Between Yelahanka-Guntkal
b) Yeshwantpur-Banaswadi-Hosur
c) Yelahanka-Chikballapur
d) Channasandra-Byappanhalli
e) Channasandra-KR Puram
5. Electrification of all lines:
a) SBC-MYS Line
b) Chikbannavara-Tumakuru
c) Chikbannavara-Nelamangala
d) Yelahanka-Doddaballapur
e) Banaswadi-Belllandur-Hosur
f) Yelahanka-Chikballapur
6. Replacing existing signaling with automatic block signalling system
7. Creation of more coaching and maintenance facilities at:
a) Byappanahalli
b) Yelahanka
c) Chikballapur
d) Jnanbharti-Bangalore University
e) Tumakuru
8. Doubling of Yeshwantpur and Byappanhalli as well as Bengaluru City and Whitefield lines.
For Karnataka
1. Completion of pending projects:
a) Nelamangala-Shravanabelagola (part of B’luru-Hassan Line)
b) Kalaburagi-Bidar Line
c) Harihar-Kottur-Hospet
d) Koppal-Munirabad
e) Bagalkot-Kudachi
f) Tumakuru-Raydurga
2. New Lines:
a) Gadag-Wadi
b) Davangere-Tumakuru
3. Doubling and electrification of all the existing and new lines:
a) Tumakuru-Arasikere
b) Hassan-Mangaluru
c) Yelahanka-Guntakal
d) Hospet-Hubballi
4. Replacement of existing signa;ling with automatic block signaling system.
5. Pitlines, Stabling Lines, Primary and Secondary Maintenance facilities at:
a) Harihar
b) Belagavi
c) Shivamogga
d) Vijayapura
e) Dharwad
6. Pitlines and Stabling Lines facilities at:
a) Arasikere
b) Bidar
c) Chamarajnagar
d) Kolar
7. New inter-state trains:
a) Bengaluru-Pune
b) Bengaluru-Mumbai
c) Bengaluru-Vasco
d) Bengaluru-Mangalore
e) Hubballi-New Delhi
f) Hubballi-Amritsar
g) Mysuru-Secunderabad
h) Vijayapura-Chennai
i) Bengaluru-Jammu
8. New Intra-State Trains:
a) Belagavi-Chamarajnagar
b) Chamrajnagar-Chikballapur
c) Chitradurga-Vijayapura
d) Mangaluru-Hubballi
e) Chikkamagaluru-Raichur
f) Chikkamagaluru-Belagavi
9. Increase the frequency and stops for Yeshwantpur-Delhi Sampark Kranti Train
10. Announcement of Kalaburagi division announced in previous budgets
11. Electrification of Yelahanka-Penukonda line.
12. Trains to Dehradun, Udaipur, Amritsar and Jaisalmer
13. Shatabdi or Express to Coimbatore, Chennai via Mysuru-Bengaluru
14. Night train to Mangaluru from Bengaluru via Arasikere-Hassan
15. Superfast train to Mumbai via Hubli
New Trains Announced in Previous Budget
Kamakhya-Bengaluru Premium Express
Bengaluru-Mangaluru Express (Daily)
Bengaluru-Shivamogga Express (Bi-weekly)
Tatanagar-Byappanahalli Express (Weekly)
Dharwad-Dandeli Passenger (Daily) via Alnavar
Yesvantpur-Tumakuru Passenger (Daily)
Bengaluru-Ramanagaram MEMU (6 days a week, 3 pairs)
Bengaluru-Nelamangala (Daily)
Yesvantpur-Hosur (6 days a week)
Bidar-Mumbai Express (Weekly)