BENGALURU: Union Minister of State for Railways and Jal Shakti V Somanna on Saturday announced that a circular railway network project worth Rs 23,000 crore will be implemented in Bengaluru.
Speaking after holding a review meeting with state ministers, MLAs, MLCs and MPs from Bengaluru and officials from South Western Railway here, he said the detailed project report (DPR) will be ready soon. The state government should help acquire land for the project.
“The 287-km network will connect Vaddarahalli, Devanahalli, Malur, Heelalige, Hejjala and Solur. The DPR is being prepared,” Somanna said. The meeting also decided to improve the railway network in Bengaluru city and prepare a master plan for a Rs 43,000-crore project.
“The Railways has approved 93 rail over bridges (ROBs)/road under bridges (RUBs) to be built in Karnataka at a cost of Rs 1,699 crore. Of them, 49 projects will be on cost sharing basis by Union and state governments. Accordingly, the share of the Railways is Rs 850 crore,” Somanna said.
World-class infra for Cantt station: Min
“The state government has withdrawn its cost-sharing consent for 32 of the 49 projects. Fourteen ROB projects are important and have been taken up by the Railways on its own,” he said. The Railways will build ROB/RUBs on its own if the state government is not forthcoming with funds,” Somanna added.
The Union minister said Bengaluru Cantonment and Yeshwantpur railway stations will have world-class infrastructure at a cost of Rs 484 crore and Rs 387 crore, respectively. They will be completed by 2025.
He said work on Yeshwantpur-Baiyappanahalli-Channasandra (25 km) and Baiyappanahalli-Hosur (48 km) track doubling projects at a cost of Rs 314 crore and Rs 500 crore, respectively, is on.
“Work on the Whitefield quadrupling rail project, which has been pending since 1998, has gained momentum. The project cost is Rs 492 crore. It is likely to be completed by June 2025,” Somanna said.