Representative image of Indian Railways.
Credit: DH File Photo
Bengaluru: The South Western Railway (SWR) has approved the alignment of an 8.5-km rail link to the Kempegowda International Airport under the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP), two senior officials said.
The airport line will branch off the BSRP's KSR Bengaluru-Devanahalli corridor (Sampige Line, 41.4 km) ahead of Trumpet Interchange and terminate between Terminal 1 and 2 of the airport.
The line will run at grade for 5.5 km, while the remaining 3.5 km inside the airport complex will be fully underground.
There will be four stations: BK Halli, KIADB Aerospace Park, Airport City and Airport Terminal.
BK Halli and KIADB Aerospace Park stations will be at grade, while both stations within the airport premises will be underground.
BK Halli and Airport City have been planned to cater to future requirements, while the remaining stations will be fully functional and operational when the line opens, a senior official at Railway Infrastructure Development Company Karnataka (K-RIDE) said.
The DPR for the airport link was prepared by RITES Limited.
"The railways has approved the alignment of the airport link. The project is estimated to cost approximately Rs 4,100 crore," K-RIDE Managing Director Lakshman Singh told DH.
While Bangalore International Airport Limited (BIAL) has declined to fund the airport link, efforts are underway to secure equity funding from the state government and Indian Railways, the first official said.
BIAL is constructing two metro stations within the airport premises on the Blue Line. The Airport City metro station will be at grade, while Airport Terminal will be partially underground.
According to K-RIDE, detailed planning and land requirements for stations within the airport premises will be finalised soon.
Initially, only one suburban station — near the terminal — was proposed within the airport premise. The new station (Airport City) will come up near the junction of Hennur-Bagalur-Begur road and serve airport employees and people from catchment areas, the official said.
The railways has also approved the Sampige Line's alignment. K-RIDE plans to complete land acquisition in about a year, Singh said.
The Sampige Line, including the airport link, is targeted for completion by March 2030, he added.
In July 2024, K-RIDE floated tenders for viaduct and station works on the Sampige Line's KSR Bengaluru-Yelahanka section (17.63 km), but has not yet awarded the contract.