Commuter Rail System hits roadblock

Commuter Rail System hits roadblock
Deccan Herald

The government seems to be in two minds about the multicrore rail project. It doubts whether the City needs a CRS when there is already a Metro rail in the pipeline.


In 2001, it was touted as a multi-purpose project which could reduce congestion on City roads. It was seen as a link between the City and suburban areas. It was also projected as a catalyst for the City’s balanced growth.

Cut to 2005: This Rs 1,025-crore Commuter Rail System Network project has hit a massive roadblock, like any other mega project of Bangalore. In the process, a loss of Rs 44 lakh — which was given to the RITES, a consultancy firm of Indian Railways, to conduct its feasibility study — also looms large. Meanwhile, the inordinate delay seems to be due to the fact that the government is unsure about the viability of the Commuter Rail System (CRS) and harbours apprehensions on whether the City needs a CRS when the metro rail project is in the pipeline.

Whether the CRS will end up as a financial burden on the government is another fear plaguing the authorities.

The Southern Railways had proposed the CRS to the State Government in September 2001 which in turn was given to the RITES to conduct a feasibility study.

The RITES had submitted the final feasibility report in January 2003.

The project had proposed to provide mass urban transportation on the existing 63-km railway lines between Bangalore City and suburban areas like Whitefield, Kengeri, Yeshwanthpur, Lotteganahalli and Baiyyappanahalli via Hebbal.

The report has suggested that the trains could ply along two corridors – one from north to south and the other from east to west, connecting 32 terminals in the suburbs of Bangalore. The report had recommended the CRS as “necessary”. But, the government, after commissioning the study to the RITES has not found it necessary, because of the metro rail project, which again seems to be a non-starter.

Fresh study

Vinay Kumar, Principal Secretary, Infrastructure Development Department, said the fresh feasibility study would explain how the routes should be realigned to the requirements of the proposed metro rail. The Infrastructure Development Corporation, which falls under his purview, has begun the study from August 1 this year.

“A six-week time frame has been given to complete the study and the report will be ready in the next two weeks,” he said.

Mr Kumar added that the civic authorities including the BMTC, BMP and the BDA as well as the traffic police have been roped in to prepare the blueprint. “The CRS need not confine itself to developing rail network. It can be any mode of transport that is best suited for the outskirts of the City. So, the ongoing intermodal study will suggest both rail and road network that needs to be developed,” he said. Asked whether the CRS would be financially viable, the officer pointed out that majority of the suburban trains in major cities barring Mumbai, were loss-making ventures. “So, the revenue aspect has to be considered while finalising the project”, he said.

Meanwhile, Mahesh Kumar, Divisional Railways Manager, South Western Railways, said he was unaware of the fresh study being carried out by the State Government.

“Maybe the government wanted to have a more holistic view about the CRS project. But I still have no idea about the reasons behind commissioning the new study,” he explained.

Two entities

Traffic experts, however, maintain that the CRS and the Metro rail can function as different entities and need not be interlinked. According to M N Sreehari, the Metro rail would only cater to 30 per cent of the population within the City’s core areas.

“With the CRS, about 30 per cent of the population in the suburbs could make use of the train services. Further, the CRS project proposes to make use of the existing railway tracks and even the Bangalore-Kengeri electrification is nearing completion. So, the government could have gone ahead with the implementation of the CRS without waiting for the metro rail to materialise,” he said.



Year Month Status

2001 Sep Study handed over by Gok (iDECK) to RITES

2003 Jan Final executive summary report submitted to Gok

2005 Aug RITES report turns redundant; Rs 44 lakh go waste

2005 Aug Fresh study by iDECK undertaken