Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project: Work On Mallige Line (Corridor 2) To Be Completed In Two Years

The Mallige Line (Corridor-2) of Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) is expected to be finished in over two years, according to M B Patil, Karnataka Minister for Infrastructure Development.

The minister has set a deadline for the completion of the 25-kilometre long corridor between Benniganahalli and Chikkabanavara, which is expected to be achieved within the next 26 months, according to PTI.

Despite the challenges faced by the BSRP project, which runs parallel to the existing South-Western Railway lines, Patil assured that these obstacles will be resolved to ensure the project's completion within the given timeframe.

He has instructed officials to work towards finishing the works related to all four corridors by 2026, with a maximum delay of two years, making the project ready by 2028 if necessary.

Patil also provided an update on the progress of Corridor-2, stating that 10 to 15 per cent of the work has been accomplished so far. He mentioned that the ground works will be completed within the next 10 months, including the ongoing railway under bridge (RUB) at Shampura.

The Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project requires a total of 157 acres of railway land, and efforts are underway to acquire the necessary land, according to Patil.

The Rail Infrastructure Development Company of Karnataka (K-RIDE) will need a combination of government land, defence land, railway land, and private land for the project.

To date, approximately five acres of private land have been acquired for the purpose of laying tracks. Additionally, the government has acquired around 2.7 acres of land, as confirmed by Patil.

The officials are also actively working on addressing any existing encroachments on the railway land, reports Hindustan Times.

K-RIDE has identified the need for approximately 7.38 acres of defence land in areas such as Jalahalli, Nagawara, and CQAE near Yeswanthpur. The necessary permissions for these locations have been obtained from the defence authorities, as stated by the minister.

Once Corridor-2 is completed, the focus will shift to the implementation of Corridor-3 between Bengaluru and Devanahalli Airport, as well as Corridor-4 between Kengeri and Whitefield, according to Patil's statement.

These subsequent corridors will be taken up for development after the completion of the current phase.

The construction of 12 stations along Corridor-2 is currently open for tender under the EPC mode (engineering, procurement, construction), with the finalisation of the tender process set for 31 August.

Meanwhile, the tender process for the civil works of Corridor-4 has been completed, and the awarded bidders will soon begin the works. The supply of the first batch of 10 trains is scheduled to commence in October 2025.

The project may be expanded from 149 km to 452 km if a proposal to extend it to Chikkaballapura, Mysuru, Magadi, Tumakuru, Gowribidanuru, Kolar, and Hosur is approved.

The proposal outlines specific corridors for the extension.

These include the stretch from Devanahalli to Kolara along Corridor-1 (107 km), Chikkabanavara to Tumkur via Dabaspete along Corridor-2 (55 km), Kengeri to Mysuru along Corridor-3 (125 km), Whitefield to Bangarpete along Corridor-3 (45 km), Heelalige to Hosuru along Corridor-4 (23 km), and Rajanukunte to Gauribidhanuru via Doddaballapura along Corridor-4 (52 km).

Additionally, a new lane called 'Corridor 2A' is proposed from Chikkabanavara to Magadi (45 km).

The existing BSRP project plan comprises four corridors with a total length of 148.17 km.

These corridors include KSR Bengaluru City to Devanahalli (Corridor-1 - 41.4 km), Baiyappanahalli to Chikkabanavara (Corridor-2 - 25.01 km), Kengeri to Whitefield (Corridor-3 - 25.01 km), and Heelalige to Rajanukunte (Corridor-4 - 46.25 km).