BENGALURU: A high-level discussion on the suburban rail network for the city was held on Wednesday between the state and railway officials at Vikasa Soudha.According to a senior railway official, Niti Aayog had expressed reservations about supporting both Metro and Railway projects since the lines seemed to have a similar alignment at a few places. “To provide them clarity over the issue, their doubts were discussed with the State government,” the official said.
Asked about the apprehensions spelt out by Niti Aayog, Mahendra Jain, Additional Chief Secretary, Urban Development, said, “We (State government) have clarified that they (Metro and Railways) complement rather than compete, and that Bengaluru needs as many different modes of public transport as possible since they cater to different commuter profiles.”
On Wednesday evening, an Extended Railway Board Meeting was held in New Delhi in connection with the project. “The regular Railway Board comprises five members. The additional members include representatives from Niti Aayog and the Resident Commissioner of Karnataka in New Delhi. The revised report prepared by consultancy firm RITES, which incorporates both the aspects spelt out by the Centre and the state, were included in it,” another official said. The meeting will prepare a report to be presented before the Union Cabinet for approval shortly.
Late on Tuesday, the State released a revised government order on the `23,093 crore project. It spoke of a 161-km network and Railways agreeing to provide an acre of land at `1. It agreed to incorporate the Kengeri-Whitefield and Soladenahalli-Nelamangala routes which were dropped from its previous order.
Chief Administrative Officer, Constructions, SWR, Swami, said, “We want the project to see the light of day. Once all the approvals come through, we can fast-track the process of formation of the Special Purpose Vehicle that will implement it.”