Dharwad To Belagavi Via Kittur Railway Project To Be Launched Soon, Land Acquisition Underway: CM Bommai

Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai on Sunday said (Jun 26) that the work on the Dharwad-Belagavi via Kittur railway project, which will reduce the journey time to Belagavi, will be launched soon after land acquisition process is complete.

Noting that Belagavi is a prominent commercial hub where many industries are coming up, Bommai said, "Grants for the Dharwad-Belagavi railway project have been approved. Work on the project will be launched soon after completing the land acquisition process. The Union government has given the necessary clearance in this regard."

A sum of ₹823 crore project has already been sanctioned by the Railway Board and the land acquisition process is underway, the CM said. The Union Government has already given necessary clearances and the work will be launched soon after the land acquisition process, he added.

The Chief Minister was speaking after inaugurating B.S. Channabasappa Textiles Showroom at Tilakwadi here.

In Dec 2021, the Karnataka cabinet approved the new 73-km rail line between Belagavi and Dharwad via the historic town of Kittur.

The greenfield railway line will come up at an estimated cost of Rs 927.4 crore. The railway project will have 11 new railway stations including one in the historic Kittur town. The stations have been proposed at Dharwad, Kyarakoppa, Mammigatti, Teguru, Kittur, Hulikatti, M.K. Hubballi, Bagewadi, Kanvikarvinkoppa, Desur and Belagavi.

The travel time between Belagavi and Dharwad will be reduced to merely an hour compared to the three-hour travel time on the current rail line between the two cities as trains will no longer have to take a circumlocutory route via Londa and Khanapur.

The proposed project, which has been a long standing demand of people of North Karnataka, received impetus after late Suresh Angadi (BJP leader and then Belagavi MP) was appointed Union minister of State of Railways in 2019. Angadi got the survey for this Railway line sanctioned in August 2019.

The Railways estimates that Civil Engineering component of the project to cost Rs.755.69 crores while electrical works is expected to cost Rs.25.93 crores. While line electrification is pegged at Rs.67.79 crores, signal & telecommunication work is set to cost Rs.77.99 crores.

(With inputs from PTI)