Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project Dream Inches Closer As L&T Set To Build 46.88 Km Kanaka Line

Larsen & Toubro (L&T) on Saturday secured a massive Rs. 1040.51 crore contract on Saturday, propelling the ambitious Bengaluru Suburban Rail project (BSRP) forward. They will spearhead the civil construction of the crucial Corridor 4, dubbed the "Kanaka Line," stretching upto 46.88 km from Heelalige to Rajanukunte - nearly a third of the project's entire 149.35 km length.

The Corridor-4, known as Kanaka Line, involves building 8.96 km of viaduct and 37.92 km of at-grade sections. It encompasses the construction of 19 stations-2 elevated and 17 at-grade. However, the station construction will occur via separate packages.

Karnataka's Rail Infrastructure Development Company (K-RIDE) initiated tenders for this construction package in January 2023, setting a 30-month deadline.

In July, technical bids were unveiled, revealing 4 bidders. By August, Larsen & Toubro emerged as the lowest bidder when financial bids were disclosed.

KRIDE's outlined scope involves designing and constructing an elevated viaduct spanning 8.960 km, an at-grade formation covering 37.920 km (excluding Station Buildings), and associated works between Heelalige and Rajanukunte of Corridor-4 in the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP).

This package also encompasses building a 1.2 km double-decker viaduct on a single pier, linking BSRP's Corridor-1 and Corridor-4 near Yelahanka.

Notably, the Kanaka Line of BSRP and Bangalore Metro project's 56 km Blue Line in Phase 2B will share an approximate 500m common alignment between Benniganahalli and Channasandra.

The stations along this line will be situated at Rajankunte, Muddanahalli, Yelahanka (elevated interchange), Jakkur, Hegde Nagar, Thanisandra, Hennur, Horamavu, Channasandra, Benniganahalli (interchange), Kagadaspura, Marathahalli (elevated), Belandur Road, Carmelaram, Ambedkar Nagar, Huskur, Singena Agrahara (future), Bommasandra (future), and Heelalige.

This marks the second major civil package of BSRP following the award of the Mallige Line (Corridor-2) contract to L&T in September 2022.

Regarding timelines, preliminary groundwork could commence in Q2 2024, with full-fledged construction anticipated to begin in Q3 2024. However, the progress hinges on L&T securing a clear right-of-way (ROW) for construction, an issue that has persisted notably in the Mallige Line.