K-RIDE To Re-Tender Bengaluru Suburban Railway Corridor 2 After L&T Exits

The Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited (K-RIDE) has announced it will invite fresh tenders for the remaining civil works of Corridor 2 of the Bengaluru suburban railway project, following the exit of Larsen & Toubro (L&T).

The decision follows advice from the advocate-general and recommendations from the tender evaluation committee.

The original contract, awarded to L&T in August 2022, was terminated due to non-compliance with tender conditions, including the failure to submit the required performance security and bank guarantee.

L&T had halted work in March, citing financial losses caused by delays in land acquisition, and later issued a legal notice to K-RIDE.

To speed up progress, K-RIDE will now tender the remaining work in three separate packages. The company said details of the packages would be released shortly.

The Bengaluru suburban railway project, valued at Rs 15,767 crore, is a joint venture between the Government of India and the Government of Karnataka. It aims to ease traffic congestion by creating a 148-km suburban rail network across four corridors.

Corridor 2, known as the Mallige Line, stretches from Benniganahalli in the east to Chikkabanavara in the west and intersects with other suburban rail and metro lines, making it a key link in the network.

Construction on Corridor 2 had begun on approximately 25 km of the route, but progress stalled due to L&T’s non-compliance and subsequent contract termination.

The new tender process is expected to resume work on this crucial corridor and bring the project back on track.

K-RIDE emphasised that the re-tendering process would follow all legal and procedural guidelines to ensure smooth execution and timely completion of the suburban rail network, which is central to reducing Bengaluru’s chronic traffic congestion.

Bengaluru Suburban Railway Corridor 1, also called the Sampige (S) Siga line, runs from KSR Bengaluru through Yelanka to Devanahalli and the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) station, covering approximately 41 km.

While work has not started on much of this corridor, the alignment from Bengaluru to Yelanka has been approved, and the Sampige line is planned to be operational by 2028.

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