The Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP) achieved a significant milestone on Tuesday as the South Western Railway allocated 114.472 acres of land for Corridor-4, spanning from Heelalige to Rajanukunte within the city, according to sources.
The Railways reportedly transferred the land to Rail Infrastructure Development Company-Karnataka Limited (K-RIDE) for the execution of Corridor-4, commonly referred to as the ‘Kanaka Line’. A lease agreement for revised Railway land was also signed, reducing the area from 157.07 acres to 85.707 acres for Corridor-2, known as the Mallige Line.
This land transfer is anticipated to accelerate the project, which has been progressing slowly.
MoU for financing the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project
Earlier, on February 9, the Karnataka government and the KfW Development Bank of Germany inked a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) for financing the BSRP project. The bank will provide a loan of Rs 4,561 crore at an annual interest rate of 4 per cent for a duration of 20 years.
K-RIDE officials specified that the loan will be utilized for various components of the project, including Corridor-3 Station and viaduct, Corridor-4 station work, Depot-1 solar panel, and security equipment, addressing critical infrastructure requirements.
Initially envisioned during the foundation stone laying ceremony by Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Bengaluru in June 2022, with a promise to complete what had been unaccomplished in the past 40 years within the next 40 months.
Presently, Karnataka Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil has set a new deadline for the project’s completion, aiming for December 2027.
(With PTI Inputs)