Green Light Ahead! Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project's Corridor 4 Nears Groundwork

After facing several months of delays, the South Western Railway (SWR) is on the brink of green-lighting the alignment for Corridor 4 in the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project in the coming days. This nod includes the provision of the necessary land, marking a crucial step toward initiating civil contracts and commencing groundwork on Corridor 4.

The progress follows a significant reduction in the railway land requirement, downscaling from 194.07 acres to 115.472 acres. This reduction was prompted by the imperative to quadruple train tracks between Baiyappanahalli and Hosur, a 41 km section falling within Corridor 4.

An official from Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) explained, "We've adjusted the railway land requirement according to revised guidelines, factoring in the quadrupling project. Our tracks will now be positioned slightly away from the railway line, necessitating about 5% more private land."

The Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project, spanning 149 km, is a joint venture between the state government and the railways, with the latter contributing most of the land and holding final decision-making power on alignment approvals.

The SWR appears "satisfied" with the revised land requirement. Pending "minor" adjustments, it is expected to approve the alignment plan for Corridor 4 within a week, followed promptly by land transfer, anticipated to conclude by month-end.

The railways will transfer the land at a nominal cost of Re one per acre.

Kusuma Hariprasad, Additional Divisional Railway Manager (Administration), Bengaluru, confirmed the requisition of 115 acres by K-RIDE and assured prompt processing of the request, as reported by Deccan Herald.

The ongoing quadrupling of the Baiyappanahalli-Hosur railway line is assured not to impede the land transfer process. A pre-feasibility/Detailed Project Report for this quadrupling is expected to be ready in a week.

Corridor 4, also known as the Kanaka Line, will cover 46.88 km, connecting Heelalige in southern Bengaluru to Rajanukunte in the northern suburbs, featuring 19 stations, including Carmelaram, Benniganahalli, Channasandra, and Yelahanka.

Although civil work tenders for Corridor 4 were initiated in January, pending were the approval of the alignment and the transfer of required railway land. L&T Ltd emerged as the lowest bidder in July, but the contract remained pending due to these uncertainties.

K-RIDE, having completed geotechnical investigations and pre-construction work for Corridor 4, aims to award the civil work contract to L&T Ltd in January 2024 upon receiving alignment approval and railway land. Station tenders will be issued separately.

Groundwork has commenced for Corridor 2 (Mallige Line), while Corridors 1 and 3 are slated for tendering in early 2024 among the project's other corridors. The revised project deadline is set for 2028.