Indian Railways green-lights Rs 492.87 cr project to ease traffic congestion in Bengaluru

Indian Railways has sanctioned a quadrupling project with a provision of two additional lines from Bengaluru Cantt to Whitefield at a cost of Rs 492.87 crore. According to a statement issued by the Railway Ministry, the 25 km stretch will involve six most important stations--Bengaluru Cantonment, Bengaluru East, Baiyyapannahalli, Krishnarajapuram, Hoodi and Whitefield. The project is set to benefit 62,000 daily commuters in this section by making commuting within Bengaluru easy and faster.
 
The statement also said that the project will be completed within two to three years. It will be a boon for those belonging to the IT hub of Whitefield. At present, 146 and 94 trains are running from Bengaluru and Yesvantpur stations, respectively, out of which 122 are of suburban nature catering to commuters.
 
A major portion of the suburban trains are running in Bengaluru-Whitefield section. In the last one and half year, in a bid to increase commuter requirement, 26 suburban services have been introduced along with seven long-distance trains in Bengaluru area, the statement said.
 
Besides, four suburban services between KSR Bengaluru- Baiyyappanahalli and Baiyappanahalli- Bengaluru have been introduced, it added. 
 
This year is expected to bring in some early good news for wagon makers and firms providing railway infrastructure with the Railway Board set to put an end to inordinate delays in awarding of tenders as communicated in the closing days of last year.
 
"Railway Board vide various letters had emphasised for timely settlement of tenders. In a complaint investigated by Railway Board, it has been observed that there is a long time gap between the opening of the tenders and their finalisation, which is not normal. In this context, it is once again reiterated that all tenders should be finalised within the normal validity period," a letter written by the Railway Board to all its production units as well as other departments said recently, urging to fix definite timelines for execution of every contract, reports DNA.
 
As per the report, the biggest beneficiary would perhaps be the wagon makers who are still awaiting awarding of a tender for 9,500 wagons expected in July last year.