The construction of the much-anticipated the Rs 15,767-crore Bengaluru suburban rail project will commence in next few weeks.

The project's implementing agency, the Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited - KRIDE, has issued a work order to Larsen & Toubro for civil works on corridor two (Mallige line) from Baiyappanahalli to Chikkabanavara. The work order to Larsen & Toubro was issued by K-RIDE on August 26.

In November last year, K-RIDE (a joint venture between the state government and the ministry of railways), floated the first civil work tender for the construction of an 8 km elevated viaduct as a part of the 25-km Mallige line (Corridor 2).

When tenders were opened in March this year, infrastructure behemoth Larsen & Toubro Limited emerged as the lowest bidder for the first package of the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project. The first civil work tender included construction of Road Under Bridges, Road Over Bridges, drains, utility diversions and retaining wall. Except for station buildings, infrastructure works between Beniganahalli and Chikkabanavara also formed a part of the tender.

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

K-RIDE has set a deadline of 24 months for the works.

The contractor will construct 9.72 kilometres of elevated line and 18.55 kilometres at grade line. The corridor will have 14 stations, and construction will begin later. The stations' designs will be finalised soon.

"We have issued work orders to L&T at Rs 859.97 crore. They already have men and machinery and other resources in the city for other infrastructure work, including Namma Metro. We are expecting them to commence the work in three-four weeks," The Economic Times quoted a senior K-RIDE official as saying,

"We're going through the onboarding process." The contractor will mobilise its resources as soon as possible to begin civil construction work. "The new railway line will run parallel to the lines of South Western Railway (SWR), and the necessary clearance has been obtained for the project," added a K-RIDE official.

According to officials, 90% of the land needed for corridor 2 is readily available. The rest of the land is owned by private individuals for whom an acquisition notification has already been issued.

The project will require approximately 7 acres of private land. Karnataka Industrial Area Development Board (KIADB) is acquiring land for K-RIDE.

In the following phase, a tender will be released for constructing the Kanaka Line (Corridor 4) from Heelalige to Rajankunte. There are 19 stations over its 46 km of total length.

The bid documentation is being created. The official said bidding for corridor four will be issued in one to two months, and other corridors will be considered.

The KSR Bengaluru to Devanahalli line (corridor-1) connecting Kempegowda International Airport will be implemented later. Sampige is the name given to this line.

Corridor-3 from Kengeri to Whitefield is the other line whose construction is considered. Parijatha is the name of this line. There are 148 stations throughout the four lines, and a further 57 will be built.

On June 20, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation for the suburban rail project in the city. The PM promised that the project would be completed in 40 months.

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 built at the cost of₹15,767-crores. K-RIDE will raise debt funding to the extent of ₹7,438 crores through borrowings to implement the project. The union and state government will fund the 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 14 stations.

46.24km long “Kanaka” (Corridor-4) covering Heelalige-Baiyappanahalli-Channasandra-Yelahanka-Rajanagunte comprising of 19 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 subsequent phase.