Mysuru-Bengaluru-Chennai HSR line to be complete only in 2051

MYSURU/ MADIKERI: Among the projects listed in the first volume of the draft of the National Rail Plan (NRP) released by the Union ministry of railways likely to interest residents of Mysuru is the high-speed rail (HSR) link proposed between Mysuru, Bengaluru and Chennai.
According to the report, the link is expected to be completed by 2051. Manager of SWR Bengaluru division Ashok Kumar Verma said that a survey would be carried out to study the feasibility of the project.The HSR link connecting Mysuru with Chennai via Bengaluru, stretching across 462km, is likely to cost Rs 92,400 crore and reduce travel time between the three cities to one and a half hours.
The Union ministry of railways has stated that the project has been proposed in response to demand from the public and stakeholders in the industrial sector.
The link will, in addition to enabling speedy commute for passengers, give a fillip to the movement of fright between the three cities. The report states that Rs 41,580 crore will be spent between 2032 and ’41 for the execution of the project, while the remaining Rs 50,820 crore will be expended in the next decade. “The NRP is the vision statement of the Indian Railways. It outlines the action plan to regain the optimum share in the freight segment for the railways,” Verma said.
S Yogendra, a member of the Mysuru Railway Commuters’ Forum, however, felt that the project was unlikely to have any great impact in 2051, considering the pace at which technological advancements are being made. “The government must take steps to execute the project at the earliest,” he said.
The report also proposes that, in 2051, Mysuru City Railway Station will be upgraded, with a multi-modal integration system being planned at the terminal. Mysuru-Kodagu rail line finds no mention People who had been hoping for the Union ministry of railways to issue a statement on linking Mysuru and Kodagu by train have been left disappointed.
The reason, those in the know stated, was owing to the delay in the state government providing land for the initiative.
Pratap Simha, MP for Mysuru and Kodagu, said that the Centre had written to the state government seeking land to start work on the railway line between Belagola and Kushalnagar. In the meanwhile, work on the proposed four-lane highway between Mysuru and Kushalnagar is expected to commence soon, with the survey for the project having been completed.
The expansion is likely to result in the Tibetan Colony losing 100 acres, land which will be acquired by the government to complete the project. The highway will pass through Manchanahalli before leading to Manchanahalli. Those families who will lose their land inside the colony will be provided parcels at alternative locations or compensated accordingly. “Discussions are under way with the Union minister for road transport on the proper course of action to be taken,” Simha said