Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project: K-RIDE To Award First Civil Work Tender For 25km Byappanahalli-Chikkabanavara 'Mallige' Line In March

The first civil work tender for Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project will be awarded next month, The Times Of India reported quoting the top official of Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (K-RIDE), a special purpose vehicle formed by government of Karnataka and the Union Ministry of Railways for executing the project.

According to the report, K-RIDE will issue the letter of acceptance (LoA) in March for the firm that wins the bid for building the priority 25km Mallige line (Corridor 2) of the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project between Benniganahalli and Chikkabanavara.

Amit Garg, MD of K-RIDE, also added that tender inviting bids for construction of Kanaka line (connecting Heelalige-Yelahanka-Rajanukunte ) will be floated in March.

Garg also confirmed that in the next three to four months, K-RIDE will complete tendering process for all four corridors of suburban rail network.

K-RIDE floated the tender for the construction of Mallige corridor, one of the four lines proposed as part of Bengaluru Suburban Rail project, in Nov.

The Mallige corridor will have stations at Byappanahalli, Kasturi Nagar, Sevanagar, Banaswadi,Kaveri Nagar, Nagawara, Kanakanagar, Hebbal, Lottegollahalli, Yeswantpur, Jalahalli, Shettihalli, Myadarahalli and Chikkabanavara.

Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnav recently reiterated in the LoK Saha that there is no delay in the project.

“Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation Ltd(K-RIDE), the implementing agency for BSRP, is committed to completing it within the stipulated period of six years.” the minister said.

"About 85% of the land required for executing BSRP is already available. The process of acquiring the remaining land is advanced. Tenders for physical work are at difference stages of completion. Approximately Rs 103.8 crore has been spent on BSRP till Jan 31" he added.

Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project

Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project rail will link Bengaluru to its satellite townships, suburbs, and surrounding rural areas by a rail-based rapid-transit system network. The commuter rail network will comprise of 4 corridors, 57 stations and cover 148.17km. It is being build at the cost of₹15,767-crores. K-RIDE will raise debt funding to the extent of ₹7,438 crore through borrowings to implement the project. The union and state government will fund remaining portion of the project.

When complete, the commuter rail system will connect the capital to its outskirts in six directions — towards Kengeri (Mysuru side), Chikkabanavara (Tumakuru side), Rajanukunte (Doddaballapura side), Devanahalli (Kolar side), Whitefield (Bangarapet side), and Heelalige.

Out of the four corridors proposed as part of the suburban rail project, the state government has prioritised two corridors

• 25.57km long "Mallige” (Corridor-2 ) connecting areas between Baiyappanahalli Terminal-Chikkabanavara comprising of 14 stations.

41.40km long “Sampige”(Corridor-1), that will connect KSR Bengaluru City (Majestic) to Devanahalli with 15 stations and 35.52-km- long "Parijata” 9 (Corridor-3) will be 35.52-km long with 19 stations between Kengeri and Whitefield, will be taken up as part of next phase.