Shell out Rs 200 to zip to international airport

Shell out Rs 200 to zip to international airport
TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Bangalore: The Karnataka government on Saturday cleared a high-speed rail link between BRV Grounds (MG Road) and the Bangalore International Airport, Devanahalli. The train journey — a ride of 25-30 minutes — will cost Rs 200.
Work on the Rs 3,716-crore project will begin in December 2008. A special-purpose vehicle (SPV) will be created for its execution. “The government has accepted the detailed project report (DPR) presented by Delhi Metro Rail Corporation MD E Sreedharan last week. The project would take three years for completion,’’ S Krishna Kumar, adviser to governor Rameshwar Thakur, told reporters after the cabinet meeting.
A city air terminal (CAT) will be built on BRV Grounds, and the track will run 34 km to the airport. “The train will have two stops: Hebbal and Yelahanka,’’ Kumar said. Check-in and baggage facilities will be at CAT and the Hebbal stop; Yelahanka will have only a baggage facility.
FARES FIXED
Rs 200 from BRV Grounds to airport Rs 150 from Hebbal to airport Rs 100 from Yelahanka to airport
TWO STOPS
Hebbal (check-in and baggage facilities) Yelahanka (baggage facility)
‘GREEN’ TRAVEL
From MG Road to Hebbal, the eco-friendly train will run on the median. Then the train will run on the left side of the road. Authorities say tree cutting will be minimal State to spend Rs 3,716 cr for high-speed rail
Bangalore: The Karnataka government has estimated that nearly 40 hectres of land is required for the Rs 3,716-crore high-speed rail link project, for which it gave the green signal on Saturday. The rail will link the city hubs with the upcoming international airport.
The government, which already has 13.2 hectres, is planning to acquire 26.65 hectres of private land. The cost break-up is: Rs 2,677 crore for rail facilities, Rs 155 crore for land acquisition, and Rs 300 crore for various taxes — which add up to Rs 3,132 crore. But the project report has estimated that the cost may finally go up to Rs 3,716 crore due to cost escalation.
Giving details of the special purpose vehicle floated for the purpose, Kumar said the state government will kickstart the company with small capital in the initial stages. Later, it will involve the Centre and Bangalore International Airport Ltd (BIAL) as partners. The project is being handled by the infrastructure department, which will rope in the Karnataka State Industries Investment Development Corporation (KSIIDC) in the next few days. “We have taken every care that the highspeed rail project will not conflict with any of the existing infrastructure projects,’’ Kumar maintained.The alignment has been so designed that the eco-friendly electric train will run up to Hebbal on the road median. Thereafter, the train will run on the left side of the road till the airport. The authorities have promised that tree-felling would be minimum during implementation of the project. The immediate fall-out of this high-speed rail would be a spurt in traffic in and around MG Road. “The project report has estimated that there would 10-12% additional traffic around M G Road. But it is possible to design to minimise the traffic congestion,’’ Kumar said.
Cops will get Jakkarayanakere Ground: With the Metro Rail project and high-speed train taking up a major portion of BRV Parade Grounds, the police have been allotted with the Jakkarayanakere Ground. Sources told STOI that the government has given an in-principle approval to hand over the Jakkarayanakere Ground to the police.
“As there’s hardly any space left at the BVR Grounds, the government has offered us the Jakkarayanakere Grounds. However, it is just an approval in principle. Once the proposal gets official approval, the police will use the ground for future activities,’’ a senior police official said.