The Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) will likely have a second phase spanning 452 km and connecting nearby towns and cities.
On Monday, Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited, or K-RIDE, said it had prepared a new proposal to expand the BSRP and sought the railways' approval to conduct a pre-feasibility study. The announcement followed a review meeting conducted by Minister for Infrastructure Development M B Patil.
The project currently spans 148.17 km over four lines (Sampige, Mallige, Parijata and Kanaka). Construction is ongoing on the 25.01-km Mallige Line (Baiyappanahalli-Chikkabanavar).
K-RIDE has received bids for the civil work contract for the 46.88-km Kanaka Line (Heelalige-Rajanukunte). Tenders for the Sampige (41.4 km, KSR Bengaluru-Devanahalli) and Parijata (35.52 km, Kengeri-Whitefield) lines are expected to be called by the end of this year.
The project has an October 2025 deadline, set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in June 2022.
At a previous review meeting on June 6, Patil had asked K-RIDE officials to prepare a revised proposal extending the BSRP to nearby cities and towns to meet future requirements.
The commissioner of the Department of Urban Land Transport (DULT) had also suggested extending the BSRP from Heelalige to Chandapura, and from Kengeri to Nadaprabhu Kempegowda Layout, Challaghatta. The DULT official had also called for kick-starting the DPR preparation to extend the BSRP to satellite towns.
The DULT commissioner is the nodal authority to regulate and coordinate urban mobility initiatives in the Bengaluru metropolitan area.
BSRP Phase 2
In Phase 2, the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP) will be connected to Kolar, Tumakuru, Mysuru, Bangarpet, Hosur and Gauribidanur, spanning 452 km. There will be six extensions and one new line.
a) Sampige Line: Devanahalli-Kolar (107 km)
b) Mallige Line: Chikkabanavar-Tumakuru via Dobbspet (55 km)
c) Parijata Line: Kengeri-Mysuru (125 km) and Whitefield-Bangarpet (45 km)
d) Kanaka Line: Heelalige to Hosur (23 km) and Rajanukunte to Gauribidanur via Doddaballapura (52 km).
New line: There will be a 45-km new line from Chikkabanavar to Magadi under Corridor 2A.