BENGALURU: Mobility experts call for prioritisation of long-pending rail and bus infrastructure projects, warning that delays and weak coordination are undermining the state’s growth prospects and stalling its mobility, with the state budget around the corner.
Sanjeev Dyamannavar, a mobility expert, said several railway projects across Karnataka have been slowed by prolonged delays in land acquisition.
New railway lines and level crossing elimination works have remained stalled for years, with land yet to be acquired even five to ten years after approval. The result, he noted, is a steady escalation in project costs and missed economic opportunities.
Similar hurdles are affecting the Suburban Rail Project, where incomplete land transfer has prevented full-scale construction along key stretches. Dyamannavar pointed out that many intra-state level crossings were sanctioned under a 50:50 cost-sharing model, requiring the state to deposit half the funds. However, delays in financial commitments have slowed implementation.
Rail connectivity in parts of Mysuru, Hassan, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga, particularly across the Western Ghats, remains inadequate due to terrain challenges and limited investment, he added.
In the road transport sector, he flagged concerns about the financial sustainability of state transport corporations. While the free bus scheme for women has expanded mobility access, revenue gaps are affecting the procurement of new buses and infrastructure upgrades. He stressed the importance of multi-modal integration at major railway junctions, airports and highway intersections to ensure seamless connectivity across the state.
He highlighted that the proposed National Highway connecting Bidar and Chamarajanagar, that is intended to bridge North and South Karnataka, has seen little visible progress. Dyamannavar also called for the upgrade of bus terminals in district headquarters such as Chikkaballapur, Tumakuru, Hassan and Shivamogga, citing overcrowded trains and poor bus frequency as signs of intercity transport gaps.
Echoing similar concerns, expert Shreya Gadepalli urged large-scale investment in public transport to address worsening congestion, especially in Bengaluru. She warned that chronic traffic congestion and rising private vehicle use are eroding the city’s attractiveness to investors.
Gadepalli proposed a ‘Triple 5 bus service’ model, ensuring access to a bus stop within a five-minute walk, a maximum five-minute wait, and arrival without within five minutes, enabled by dedicated bus lanes. Currently, Bengaluru operates about 50 buses per lakh population, far below global standards. While London runs nearly 9,000 buses alongside its vast Metro network, Bengaluru’s fleet of around 6,000 buses falls short for its size.
She called for doubling the bus fleet in Bengaluru and expanding services in cities across the state, such as Mysuru, Hubballi and Dharwad. “Investment in buses, better streets and rational road pricing is the foundation,” she said, adding that the step towards improving bus connectivity would be the first issue the government can fix at the foundational level, and move forward from there on.
