Board your flight, one train at a time

Board your flight, one train at a time

PK Surendran. Bangalore



Imagine a time when you can hop on a train to get to the airport. Imagine a time when you can pick up your boarding card from the train station. Now imagine that time just a few years away.
The Bangalore Airport Rail Link (BARL), the high-speed train connecting the airport to the city, assures commuters a 15-minute ride to the airport. Not only that, once you board the train, bags and all, it is the responsibility of BARL to make sure your bags get on the right aircraft, while you saunter from the train straight to the aircraft.
"The high-speed rail link to Bangalore airport is a flier's dream and it is going to be a reality. But you have to wait four more years for its realisation," said C Jayaram, director, BARL.
The line will start from BRV Grounds and head through MG Road, Raj Bhavan Road, Sankey Road, Windsor Manor junction, Mehkri Circle and the Hebbal flyover. From Hebbal flyover, the track will be laid at ground level along NH-7. After two years of procrastination, the government has given the green signal to the rail link. The Rs6,900 crore, 34-km link is entering its next phase of what has been a long process: The issuing of tenders.
The government will chip in with Rs532 crore by way of land allocation, while Rs1,040 crore is expected to come from the Centre. The infrastructure minister, Janardhan Reddy, indicated that the project is very much a priority and will be implemented.
In April, the state shortlisted firms for the construction of the high-speed link. Jayaram said work on the link may begin in the first quarter of next year.