262 acres of land to be acquired for LRTS

As many as 262 acres of land, including 60 acres of private land, will be acquired for implementing the proposed 42-km of Light Rail Transit System (LRTS) in Bengaluru at a cost of Rs 10,875 crore.

The LRTS, which is proposed to be implemented under public-private partnership, will have two corridors: JP Nagar-Hebbal corridor of 32 km (passing through Bannerghatta Road, Kanakapura Road, Mysuru Road, eastern boundary of Jnanabharati campus, Magadi Road, Peenya Industrial Area, BEL Circle, Lottegollahalli, Hebbal); Vijayanagar Tollgate-Tavarekere corridor of 10 km.

Both the corridors will be elevated. “We have already identified the lands that have to be acquired. The major portion of it is government land. A detailed project report has been prepared. The project is now awaiting approval from the government. If approved, the bidding process will be taken up in two to three months. The proposed LRTS requires four years for completion, Bangalore Airport Rail Link Ltd Director (Projects) C Jayaram said.

Two firms show interest
Planned to be a supplement to Namma Metro network, two companies, France-based Alstom and Larsen and Toubro, have evinced interest in implementing the project at Invest Karnataka-2016 held on February 3 and 4 at the Bangalore Palace. But the government will be selecting the private partner or the concessioner for implementing the project through a bidding process.

The project was showcased at the investors’ meet, he added.Under the proposed LRTS, the government will bear 60 per cent of the total cost, including the cost of land acquisition. The government will also bear the cost of alignment and formation and utility shifting under the project.

40 per cent cost
The private partner will bear the remaining 40 per cent of the cost, which includes station building, construction of depots, traction and power supply, rolling stock, design charges and other works.

In terms of money, the government will be spending Rs 6,373 crore, including land acquisition, and the private partner will be investing Rs 4,117 crore.

The LRTS was first proposed in 2007. But the subsequent governments failed to take steps to implement it. In 2010, the project was estimated to cost Rs 5,600 crore.

Lighter axle load
The LRTS will have a capacity of 15,000 to 40,000 peak-hour direction passenger trips, which is almost similar to the Metro. But the LRTS will have lighter axle load compared to Metro.

Besides, it will be of standard gauge and will have the capacity to operate at a speed of 80 km per hour.