BENGALURU: The first tender for one corridor of the long awaited Rs 15,767-crore Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) was floated by its implementing agency on Tuesday.
The tender by the Rail Infrastructure Development Enterprises (Karnataka) Limited (K-RIDE) for the 25.01 km Baiyappanahalli-Chikkabanavara Line (referred to as Second Corridor) was meant to be called in the first week of September but was postponed further by the agency.
There will be 14 stations along the Line which will start at Baiyappanahalli and run via Banaswadi, Lottegehalli, Whitefield and Yesvantpur before terminating at Chikkabanavara.
The tender has been called for construction of an 8-km elevated viaduct (the structure on which rails are laid), Road Under Bridges, Road Over Bridges, drains, utility diversions and retaining wall. Infrastructural works between Beniganahalli and Chikkabanavara except station buildings are also covered by the tender.
Both technical and financial bids for the line have been called. The date for the opening of the technical bid has specified as January 10, 2022. The bidder will be given a 27-month deadline after the contract is awarded to complete the project. K-RIDE is a joint venture between Karnataka Government and the Ministry of Railways.
Apart from this corridor, the 148.17-km BSRP project will cover these three corridors: KSR Bengaluru-Devanahalli, Kengeri-Cantonment-Whitefield, and Heelalige-Rajanakunte. The Heelalige Line (Fourth Corridor) will be the next line for which tenders are likely to be called for.
The project had been first mooted 37 years ago. Railway officials keep reiterating that a deadline of 2026 has been set for it but 2030 could be a possibility.