The suburban areas and some important towns around the city is likely to get rail connectivity as a team of state government officials, headed by the chief secretary, met the railway officials to discuss the modalities to start commuter rail services to various proposed destinations from the city early this week.
According to official sources, the railway officials have proposed that the commuter rail services can initially start from Bangalore to Mandya and Bangarpet as these routes already have two railway lines.
According to the estimates submitted by the railway officials, headed by Divisional Railway Manager Anil Kumar Aggarwal, `800 crore would be needed for developing the infrastructure and buying the rakes to start the services to both the towns.
The railways expressed its inability to introduce more trains from the crowded Bangalore City Railway Station and has requested the state government to handover seven acres of Binny Mill land for developing the infrastructure for commuter rail services from the city.
According to the official sources, chief secretary SV Ranganath has tentatively agreed to the suggestions and is likely to convene one more meeting to finalise the modalities.
The service might become a reality in the city in another two years, sources said. The railways is planning to either shift four of its existing maintenance pits to the Binny Mill land to construct four more platforms or develop infrastructure in the Binny Mill land for introducing the service if the agreement materialises.
A study was conducted by the Rail India Technical and Economic Services (Rites) to explore the possibility of introducing commuter rail services to Mandya, Bangarpet, Kolar, Chikballapur, Doddaballapur, Tumkur and Hosur from the city and in between Yeshwantpur and Yelahanka, Yelahanka and Baiyappanahalli and Yeshwantpur and Baiyappanahalli. The report said that commuter rail service would cost lesser than metro trains as commuter rail service cost `15 to `20 crore for every kilometer.
