On the slow track: Here’s all you need to know about the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (2024)

Here’s an overview of the project, its significance, its challenges, and the efforts to expedite its completion:

What is BSRP and why does Bengaluru need it?

The Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) is a collaborative effort between the government of Karnataka and the Ministry of Railways, implemented by a special purpose vehicle called K-RIDE (Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company Limited). It is India’s first railway project under the National Suburban Rail Policy 2018. The project aims to provide a reliable and efficient mode of public transportation, reduce traffic congestion, and improve connectivity across Bengaluru and its suburbs.

The network spans four corridors and covers 147 km with 57 stations. With Bengaluru’s vehicle population exceeding 1 crore, the project is expected to ease traffic by reducing road users by nearly 10 lakh people. The project envisages air-conditioned trains every 5-12 minutes, with connections to Namma Metro and Indian Railways at 16 and 23 points, respectively.

Additionally, efforts are being made to link BSRP with Bengaluru Metropolitan Transport Corporation (BMTC) and Karnataka State Road Transport Corporation (KSRTC). The project will also adopt the national common mobility card and the stations will follow the new Transit Oriented Development (TOD) policy to boost last-mile connectivity.

Who is funding BSRP?

This project is funded through the equity contribution of the Karnataka government, the railway ministry and external borrowing in the ratio of 20:20:60.

Funding of loan amount (₹ 7,438 crore):

• The Department of Economic Affairs (DEA) has posed a fund requirement of 800 million Euro to bilateral funding agencies i.e., KfW, Germany and European Investment Bank (EIB), Luxembourg.

• A loan agreement with KfW was signed on December 15, 2023, for 500 million euro.

• A loan agreement with EIB was signed for Euro 300 million on June 14, 2024.

Meanwhile, the total amount released as of May 31, 2024, is Rs 500 crore by the railway ministry and Rs 665.42 crore by the state government. The expenditure of BSRP as of May amounts to Rs 1,031.03 crore. According to estimates, the cost per km for BSRP is Rs 105 crore, much less than for the Metro (Rs 500 crore/km).

4 corridors and their progress

The BSRP is divided into four corridors, namely Sampige (41.4 km), Mallige (25.01km), Parijaatha (35.52km) and Kanaka (46.24km). While work is yet to begin on corridors 1 and 3, over 25 per cent of work is completed in corridor 2 and less than two per cent in corridor 4.

Corridor 1: The Sampige line consists of 14 stations, requiring 12.1 acres of land and six level-crossing eliminations, and costs around Rs 5,060 crore. The corridor connecting KSR Bengaluru station to Devanahalli with a branch line going to the Airport Terminal was one of the first to be commissioned by October 2023, as per the initial plan. However, it took a backseat after BMRCL insisted that K-RIDE take up Corridor 1 later, after finishing other corridors in view of the proposed Metro project (airport line) which BMRCL stated aligns with that of BSRP.

K-RIDE has also submitted a revised alignment plan to SWR keeping in mind the existing and future works of Indian Railways along the stretch. Tenders will be invited soon after the approval of the alignment plan by SWR.

Corridor 2: The Mallige line connects Benniganahalli to Chikkabanavara via Hebbal and Yeshwantpur. It consists of 12 stations, requires land acquisition of 28 acres and five level-crossing eliminations, and a sanctioned amount of Rs 3,221 crore. The tender for civil works for corridor 2 was awarded to construction major L&T in August 2022 for Rs 859.97 crore with a completion period of 27 months. On June 14, K-RIDE invited tenders (for the second time) for the corridor’s station works. However, the tender was invited only for eight of the 12 stations. K-RIDE officials stated that the tenders for the rest of the four stations will be called soon. According to K-RIDE, more than 27 per cent of the physical and 21 per cent of the financial progress have been completed. In fact, Corridor 2’s 7.4 km stretch from Chikkabanavara to Yeshwantpur will be the first to be completed and commissioned by December 2025.

Corridor 3: The Parijatha line connects Kengeri to Whitefield, via Cantonment and KR Pura, consisting of 19 stations. The land required for the corridor is 40.28 acres with 11 level-crossings to be eliminated and will be built at a cost of Rs 2,828 crore. To date, no work has started on Corridor 3. One of the major challenges in this corridor is the interoperability issue to run BSRP and Indian Railways on the same track. An expert committee has been formed to resolve this issue and suggest mitigation measures.

Corridor 4: The Kanaka line connects Heelalige to Rajanakunte via Channasandra. The corridor consists of 19 stations which require 11 acres of land and has an estimated cost of Rs 4,568 crore. With 46 km, this is also the longest among the four corridors. In December 2023, L&T was awarded a Rs 1,040.51 crore contract for the civil construction work of the corridor. Pre-construction activities, including geotechnical investigations, tree felling, utility shifting, and design and structure works, are in progress. Private land acquisition for this corridor is also underway. The completion date is December 2026.

What is the environmental impact of the project?

With BSRP expected to keep nearly 10 lakh people off roads, it is a significant step towards reducing vehicle pollution. Additionally, it has also adopted other sustainable practices like solar-powered stations which add to the project’s carbon credit. K-RIDE is also contemplating installing soak pits as part of rainwater harvesting near tracks and all the stations to increase the groundwater table and mitigate floods at stations.

However, the major challenge before K-RIDE is to go ahead with the cutting of around 32,000 trees (15,000 trees along four corridors and 17,000 trees for the depot) which has received flak from environmentalists. As per K-RIDE’s policy, for every tree cut, 10 trees would be planted as compensation. Nearly 98 per cent of the 17,000 trees that have to be axed for the depot at Akkupete in Devanahalli are eucalyptus and acacia trees, which studies claim, are of not much ecological value. K-RIDE has written to the Karnataka government requesting to identify land for planting 1,70,000 trees as compensation but the government is yet to allot land.

K-RIDE has also transferred Rs 8 crore to the Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP) to plant trees as per their algorithm in lieu of 1,200 trees that the civic agency has approved to cut in its limits. K-RIDE officials believe that the delay in clearance to cut trees will further lead to delays in seeking funds from financing institutions, and eventually impede the civil works of the corridors and the depot.

What are the challenges hindering BSRP’s progress?

BSRP is a multi-stakeholder project that involves government agencies (central, state and local), international funding agencies, organisations like BESCOM or Bangalore Electricity Supply Company Limited, Karnataka Power Transmission Corporation (KPTCL), Bangalore Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB), and citizen groups. According to K-RIDE officials, the initial one-year delay was due to resolving various issues with the railway ministry and other stakeholders.

On site, BSRP is a green field project alongside a brown field i.e. it involves the construction of two dedicated tracks alongside live railway tracks. While safety challenges persist in view of constructing next to live tracks, K-RIDE has also encountered other issues like land availability, land acquisition, access to funds, adapting technological innovations and clearing encroachments on railway land, among others.

However, officials state that the government is now focusing on resolving bottlenecks, speeding up the project and ensuring that it can be completed as per timelines. “Ensuring effective coordination and communication between these groups is a significant challenge. Regular meetings and reviews are being regularly held to keep track of progress and to address any bottlenecks. Once land transfer, alignment, funds, and other approvals with higher authorities are resolved, the project will progress and be completed as per the scheduled timelines,” a K-RIDE official said.

Another major challenge is the lack of a full-time managing director for K-RIDE. Dr Manjula N is the current managing director of K-RIDE who also holds an additional charge of secretary, Kannada and Culture department, government of Karnataka.

What is the status of rolling stock?

The BSRP has called for tenders worth Rs 3,000 crore for 306 rolling stocks (coaches) which are set to be procured through a public-private partnership (PPP) model. The bids have been invited in two stages in the form of a request for a quote (technical bid) and a request for a proposal (financial bid). Three firms have qualified for the technical bid while bidders for the financial bid have sought an extension in submitting their quotations. The air-conditioned train will consist of nine coaches with a seating capacity of 300 in each coach.

Why a proposal to extend BSRP was rejected?

In July 2023, K-RIDE had submitted a proposal to South Western Railways (SWR) requesting the extension of BSRP to satellite towns and sought the ministry’s approval to take up a pre-feasibility study. The extension is part of BSRP’s phase 2 that would cover 452 km. Extensions were sought to Kolar, Tumkur, Magadi, Mysuru, Bangarpet, Hosur, and Gauribidanaur. However, the Indian Railways scuttled the proposal saying it is already doing enough to improve connectivity between Bengaluru and its satellite towns in the form of raising train speed, doubling and quadrupling of railway lines and developing Vande Metro trains for faster suburban travel. It further urged K-RIDE to focus on accelerating ongoing projects which are behind schedule. However, K-RIDE wrote another letter in December 2023 requesting SWR to get approval from the Railway Board for an extension of BSRP, which went unanswered.

What do mobility experts say about BSRP’s progress?

Mobility experts believe that SWR must proactively work in implementing BSRP more effectively and K-RIDE must have a full-time MD to undertake the Rs 15,767 crore project. Rajkumar Dugar, founder and convenor of Citizens for Citizens, said, “BSRP is SWR’s baby. They have a 49 per cent stake in the project and it is imperative they implement the work more effectively. Additionally, K-RIDE must also pull up their socks and fast-track the work by engaging all stakeholders, including public representatives. It is equally important for MLAs/MPs representing constituencies where the four corridors pass to consistently review and facilitate the project.” He added, “I urge K-RIDE to ensure there is no more delay in getting things started with Corridor 1 which is a major gateway to ease Bengaluru’s traffic. If this corridor was commissioned on priority as per the DPR, a significant part of Bengaluru’s traffic woes would have been solved by now.”

“The project is not being implemented in a programme mode. There is no full-time MD (for K-RIDE) to steer the project on a war footing. In fact, their own audit reports suggest that K-RIDE has no internal control in terms of administration,” urban mobility expert Satya Arikutharam said. “The pertinent question also is, why does BSRP need Corridor 3 (Kengeri-Whitefield) when we already have a Metro line connecting the two points? An additional corridor means additional depot, which again is time-consuming and expensive,” Arikutharam added.