BENGALURU: The proposed 161-km dedicated suburban railway network for the city will take at least 10 years from now to get in place. This timeline was given by senior officials of the South Western Railway on Tuesday during an interaction with eight MPs of Karnataka on Tuesday. A highly placed Railway source said the MPs specifically wanted timeline for different aspects related to the suburban project. “Top Railway officials said it would take 10 years from now for it to be in place,” he said.
The MPs who attended the meet are: K H Muniyappa (Kolar), M Veerappa Moily, (Chikkaballapur), P C Mohan, (Bengaluru Central), D K Suresh (Bengaluru Rural), Kristappa Nimmala (Hindpur), S P Muddahanumegowda (Tumakuru) and Rajya Sabha MPs G S Chandrasekhar and Syed Nasir Hussain. “We have also informed the MPs that a feasibility report of the suburban railway project will be submitted by consultancy firm RITES by September-end and the final report will be readied by them by November,” the source said.
P C Mohan told TNIE, “The ball is now in the court of the state government. I have requested MPs of Tumukuru, Kolar and Chikkaballapur to jointly meet the CM and press for speedy execution of the Special Purpose Vehicle for the suburban rail.”Doubling of railway line up to Hosur has been sanctioned at a cost of `308 crore, he added.
Urging speeding of the work for the suburban project as well as the Baiyappanahalli coaching terminals, the MP also called for setting aside land near Binny Mill and NGEF for railway projects. He also batted for a foot over bridge at Whitefield Railway Station to connect the Kadugodi Bus Stand. It had already been sanctioned and work will begin shortly, promised SWR General Manager, an official release said. The MPs requested expediting of projects pertaining to their constituencies.
D K Suresh requested stoppages for more trains at Channapatna Railway Station. Muniyappa wanted to know the status of the Kolar Rail Factory and the Marikuppam-Kuppam line. Moily was informed by railway officials that the underpass near Yelahanka station could not be taken up as BBMP had paid only `12.58 lakh out of the required `8.03 crore.