Union Minister V Somanna announced that the Chikkabanavara-Baiyyappanahalli (Corridor-2, 25 km) and Heilalagi-Rajanukunte (Corridor-4, 46.88 km) sections of the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project will be completed by December 2026. The announcement was made during a joint press conference with Karnataka's Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil, following a progress review meeting of the Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Ltd (K-Ride) at the Vidhana Soudha.
K-Ride, which is overseeing the project, assured the ministers that land acquisition issues will be resolved within three months. Both ministers emphasised that there would be no further delays in the completion of these two corridors, which are part of the four projects inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Somanna also mentioned that discussions regarding the implementation of the remaining two corridors will take place once these are completed.
Somanna, Minister of State for Railways, agreed to intervene in the K-Ride project, which has faced delays due to the lack of tenders for railway coach production and supply under a public-private partnership. He committed to organising a meeting in Delhi with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to resolve the issue.
Officials stated that railway carriages need to be supplied at least six months before the completion deadline to ensure timely operation of the corridors. Minister Patil also requested an extension of the suburban rail network to nearby cities and towns. The feasibility of extending Corridor-1 directly from Devanahalli to Kolar, bypassing Chikkaballapura, was also discussed.
The meeting further considered integrating the suburban rail network with the proposed 281 km peripheral railway project, which is set to be implemented at a cost of Rs 210 billion. Senior officials, including South Western Railway General Manager Aravinda Srivastava, Namma Metro Managing Director Maheshwar Rao, and BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath, attended the meeting.
Earlier in the day, Somanna visited the Rail Wheel Factory in Yelahanka to review its operations and upcoming projects. (ET)
