This story is from June 15, 2020

After U-turns, K-RIDE to take up doubling of Bengaluru’s two railway lines

The city’s ambitious project of doubling two vital stretches— Byappanahalli-Hosur (48km) and Yeshwantpur-Channasandra (21km) appears to have got a fresh lease of life.
After U-turns, K-RIDE to take up doubling of Bengaluru’s two railway lines
File photo used for representational purpose
BENGALURU: The city’s ambitious project of doubling two vital stretches— Byappanahalli-Hosur (48km) and Yeshwantpur-Channasandra (21km) appears to have got a fresh lease of life.
The project remained on paper despite the railways in 2018 inviting bids for civil works for doubling of the Byappanahalli-Hosur line.
Sources said the railways and the government have been dilly-dallying over cost sharing.
Also, there were differences over whether South Western Railway (SWR) or the Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (K-RIDE), an SPV which is responsible for the Bengaluru suburban rail, will execute the project.
The railway board recently asked K-RIDE to implement the project. K-RIDE officials said they’re planning to finalise the tenders in three months. “The main reason for the delay was the government’s refusal to shoulder 50% of the cost project. The government had earlier insisted for a 20:20 model, where the remaining 60% was to be raised through loans. However, most financial agencies were not ready to fund 60% since it was not financially viable. However, the government has agreed for a 50:50 cost-sharing model and K-RIDE will take up the work since the railway board has given its nod,” said a railway official.
K-RIDE officials said they will hire 40 staff in a month. “We’ve started recruitment and are setting up a new office. The suburban rail project is yet to get clearance from the Union cabinet so we could take up these two projects to begin with. The proposed suburban rail alignment also passes through these sections, so undertaking both works by a single agency will be more feasible,” he said.
The doubling of Byappanahalli-Hosur and Yeshwantpur-Channasandra will also help railways operate more trains and cut down travel time. These lines pass through high-density corridors like Outer Ring Road and tech hubs like Electronics City and Bellandur.
‘Better coordination needed’
Sanjeev Dyamannavar, a rail activist, said these projects were pending for more than 10 years as the state and the railways wasted three years by fighting over cost sharing and execution agencies. “Unlike KRIDE, SWR has a dedicated construction department capable of executing projects. K-RIDE doesn’t have adequate resources or manpower to execute this project. There is also no clarity whether K-RIDE, which is a JV between Karnataka government and railways, will do the doubling between Anekal and Hosur in Tamil Nadu. There are no adequate funds earmarked. The coordination between the Centre and the state should be improved to fast track such crucial projects.”
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About the Author
Christin Mathew Philip

Christin Mathew Philip is a Principal Correspondent with The Times of India, Bengaluru. He writes on urban mobility and traffic issues. He is the winner of Ramnath Goenka Excellence in Journalism award (2015) for his reporting on civic issues in Chennai. He worked in TOI Chennai (2011-2016) before moving to The New Indian Express, Bengaluru in 2016.

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