BENGALURU: Quadruple railway lines will be developed to cities located within a 100-km radius of Bengaluru, said Union Minister of State for Railways V Somanna. A similar four-track railway corridor between the state capital and Mangaluru will also be considered, he said after inaugurating a newly constructed road overbridge near Elekeri in Channapattana taluk on Monday.
Earlier, Karnataka Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil had placed several railway-related demands concerning Karnataka and had urged the Centre to develop quadruple railway lines from Bengaluru to Tumakuru, Mysuru, Hindupura via Gauribidanuru and Kolar.
Somanna said the survey for the Bengaluru-Tumakuru quadruple railway line has been completed and the tendering process will begin shortly. The project is expected to be completed within the next one-and-a-half to two years. He added that it has also been decided to undertake a survey for the proposed Bengaluru-Mysuru quadruple railway line.
The minister said a direct rail link between Bengaluru and Kolar would be provided by extending the existing four-track railway line beyond Whitefield. The Centre itself will undertake the required land acquisition for the project, he added. Somanna said work on the Tumakuru-Chitradurga-Davanagere railway line is progressing at a brisk pace. He added, “Patil has also sought doubling of the track on this route, and the proposal would also be considered.” Referring to the proposal for a high-speed rail link between Bengaluru and Pune, Somanna said he would take the project forward.
Somanna and Patil travelled from Bengaluru Railway Station to Channapatna in the SPIC (Self-Propelled Inspection Car), a specialised railway inspection vehicle used to assess the quality, safety and progress of railway infrastructure projects. They later returned to Bengaluru in the same inspection vehicle.