DAVANAGERE\CHITRADURGA: Union minister of state for railways V Somanna on Tuesday said that the Tumkuru-Davanagere direct railway line will be completed within two years and the union government is committed to running the first train on this route as soon as possible.
Speaking to TNIE over the phone, he said he met Union Home Minister Amit Shah at Parliament House in New Delhi on Tuesday and requested approval for the Railway Board's proposal for the Thimmajanahalli-Tavarekere segment of the Tumakuru–Chitradurga–Davangere railway line. He expressed gratitude for Shah's positive response and support, adding, "On behalf of the people of Karnataka, especially Tumakuru, I extend my heartfelt thanks to Shri Amit Shah Ji for his commitment to infrastructure development."
Two new railway line projects Tumkuru – Davangere (via Chitradurga) and Tumkur –Rayadurga projects are underway for Rs 2140 crore and Rs 2500 crore respectively. Somanna elaborated that these two projects are vital for improving the connectivity of Tumkur to other regions of Karnataka and are being monitored closely for early completion.
The Tumkur–Davangere new line will provide direct connectivity between the two cities, reducing the rail travel distance by 65 km. The Tumkur–Rayadurga line, will shorten the Tumkur–Bellari route by 130 km, thereby boosting railway connectivity to the Kalyana Karnataka region.He urged the Government of Karnataka to facilitate quick land acquisition for these two projects.
V Somanna said that under the visionary leadership of PM Shri Narendra Modi, in the last 10 years railways have undergone a comprehensive transformation. He said that the PM has termed the ‘Railways as the growth engine of the nation’. Under the PM’s leadership, the Minister mentioned that the average outlay for Karnataka for railway projects had increased about 9 times.