Bengaluru city’s ambitious suburban rail project which has been pending for decades, is finally back on track. The Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Corporation (K-RIDE), which is executing the project, has prepared the blueprint to float tenders for the four rail corridors. In November last year, K-RIDE floated the first civil work tender for the 25km Byappanahalli - Yeshwantpur-Chikkabanavara (Mallige) lines, MD, K-RIDE, Amit Garg, informed that about 20 construction firms participated in the pre-bid meeting for this corridor and the agency is planning to issue the letter of acceptance (LoA) to the selected firm. The tender for another line — Heelalige-Yelahanka-Rajanukunte (Kanaka) — will be invited in March. In the project, there will be stations at Byappanahalli, Kasturinagar, Sevanagar, Banaswadi, Nagawara, Kanakanagar, Hebbal, Lottegollahalli, Yeshwantpur, Jalahalli, Shettihalli, Myadarahalli and Chikkabanavara. Four of them (Byappanahalli, Hebbal, Lottegollahalli and Yeshwantpur) will be elevated and all the stations will be swanky and have rooftop solar panels. As part of this corridor, 53 minor bridges/ slab culverts, one major bridge, 14 rail under-bridges and two rail over-bridges will be constructed. While K-RIDE is expecting the civil work to be completed in 27 months, a contractor who participated in the pre-bid meeting said that it will take at least 36 months as there are several components such as viaduct, ROBs, RUBs and cutting trees.
