FRIDAY, 01 JULY 2022

The Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP)

The Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) if completed on schedule and with competitively priced tickets would serve the travel purposes of people on the outskirts really well. Some of the main reasons being: 1) Last mile access to the metro being inconsistent, 2) Complete metro connectivity still some time away 3) The peripheral ring road project getting delayed without proper closure in sight. The BSRP on the other hand can be initiated and closed within a relative short period of time due to the fact that it uses existing base infrastructure to run on.

linked in logo @Darshan Devaiah B P for The Indian EXPRESS:

“The project aims to connect Bengaluru with its suburbs via a rail-based rapid-transit system that has been a dream of the state governments since 1983. The much-anticipated project is expected to be completed by 2026 at an estimated cost of Rs 15,767 crore, and has often been dubbed “India’s most integrated rail project”.

Now, the latest blueprint by BSRP says that the project will span a rail network of 148.17 km in the city, with 57 stations planned across four corridors in six directions of Bengaluru, which includes Kengeri (Mysuru side), Chikkabanavara (Tumakuru side), Rajanukunte (Doddaballapura side), Devanahalli (Kolar side), Whitefield (Bangarapet side), and Heelalige.

It comprises the construction of a total of 4 suburban rail corridors that span 148.17 kilometres length of route. The project will be implemented by KRIDE (Rail Infrastructure Development Company Limited- Karnataka), a Joint Venture company established by the Railway Ministry with the state government of Karnataka as a Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV). It is also planned with multiple integration points across other transport modes like the Indian Railways and Namma Metro. All these factors with a quick to closure possibility definitely augur well as it would be an economical mode of transport across long spans which would otherwise take a massive amount of time and/or multiple changes across different transport systems. If done well, it would also add to the development of the local economies near the train station hubs prying development away from the congested center and suburbs of Bangalore.