Building castles in the air

Rail link to connect Devanahalli airport
Financial Express

BANGALORE, MARCH 25: Apart from being the country’s first greenfield international airport, Bangalore international airport will have an added attraction. It will have a dedicated rail link to take commuters from the city to the airport in Devanahalli.


The Rs 500 crore project, which is still in the planning stage, envisages to have the most modern facilities on board the 35 km rail link.

Speaking to FE infrastructure development department additional chief secretary and principal secretary Vinay Kumar said, "As it is a dedicated rail link for the airport, the facilities will be conforming to the standard of international travel."

According to officials of the nodal agency for the project, Infrastructure Development Corporation (Karnataka) Ltd (IDEC), the model is based on projects that are prevalent abroad. "Passengers will be able to check-in baggage at the railway station and collect boarding passes for the airlines at the station itself. Once checked in, they can avoid the formalities at the airport, as the baggage will be taken directly to the flight from the station."

The rail coaches could be in the lines of the metro rail coaches being used in cities like Delhi. "We are looking at making the travel like an inflight experience. The interiors and seating will be designed in such a way," said the official, adding that plans were yet to be finalised.

IDEC officials said possibilities of introducing high speed trains, in line with Indian railway standards, were also being considered. While travelling from city centre to airport on road could take over an hour depending on traffic, the railway link will cut the journey to 30 minutes.

The government is looking at inviting private participation for the project, which is expected to be functional shortly after the airport is functional. IDEC expects that once construction takes off, the project should be completed in two years time.