Two track-doubling projects for Bangalore

Two track-doubling projects for Bangalore

Special Correspondent
Subways at road over-bridges in Lingarajapuram, Banasawadi, Hebbal and other places planned
Two projects will be implemented at a cost

of Rs. 125 crore

Surveys for new railway lines are on,

says Muniyappa

BANGALORE: Minister of State for Railways K.H. Muniyappa on Wednesday announced several projects for the State, including track-doubling on two sections in the city with a view to easing congestion on roads.

He told presspersons that track-doubling would be taken up on Yeshwanthpur-Yelahanka and Yelahanka-Channasandra sections at a cost of Rs. 125 crore. The railway authorities had taken up the final location survey.

Subways at road over-bridges in Lingarajapuram, Banasawadi, Hebbal, Fraser Town and other places in the city for easing traffic congestion had been planned in association with the Bruhat Bangalore Mahanagara Palike. Road over-bridges would be built at Kodigena Halli, Sarjapur and Boopasandra crossings. Road over-bridges and under bridges would be built at Jalahalli across the ring road, Nagawara, Byappanahalli, Kengeri, Bapujinagar and Allalasandra.

Work on the road over-bridge at Whitefield would be completed by March 2010 and widening of Bennigana Halli road under-bridge on Bangalore-Krishnarajapuram (NH 4) would be completed by May 2010. The Bangalore-Whitefield-Krishnarajapuram track-quadrupling work could not be implemented as the State Government had not decided on commuter rail transportation and cost sharing, he said.

Mr. Muniyappa said that surveys for Chickaballapur-Puttaparthy, Madanapalle-Srinivasapura, Anekal-Bidadi, Shimoga-Harihar, Gadag-Wadi, Almatti-Koppal and Almati-Yadgir lines, which were sanctioned in the budget, were in progress. A report would be finalised shortly.

He said the 65-km Kottur-Harihar line would be ready for goods services by March 31 and for passenger services by September 30. Gauge conversion work on the 97-km Shimoga-Talaguppa section (Shimoga-Anandapuram 57 km and Anandapuram-Talaguppa 40 km would be completed by March and June 2010, respectively.

The Minister said that patch-doubling work on the 26.15-km Dharwad-Kambarganvi section (Dharwad-Mugad 13 km and Mugad-Kambarganvi) was likely to be completed by March and December 2010, respectively.

Work on the 44.28-km Arsikere-Birur section (Arsikere-Devanur and Devanur-Birur) would be completed by March 2010 and 2011, respectively.

He said the Kadur-Chikmagalur line via Sakleshpur (93 km), Hassan-Bangalore line via Shravanabelagola (166 km), Rayadurga-Tumkur via Kalyandurg (213 km), Munirabad-(Ginigera)-Raichur (170 km up to Mehabubnagar) could be completed in four years if land was made available by the State Government.

Work on the 167-km Hubli-Ankola line was held up because the Central Empowerment Committee had to give clearance for acquisition of 727 hectares of forestland. The committee had denied permission for conducting a survey on the 260-km Bangalore-Sathyamangalam line as it came under the forestland, he said.

Stop
He said that Kakinada-Bangalore Seshadri Express would stop at Malur and Mysore-Tirupati Fast Passenger at Tykal from January 1.