If the Government of Karnataka agrees to the proposal made by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRCL) and it turns out to be feasible, one will be able to reach Mysore in just 30 minutes.

E Sreedharan, Principal Adviser, DMRCL has, in a letter dated February 3 said: “...We feel a high speed rail line (HSRL) between Mysore and Bangalore is eminently justified.”

Such a corridor, he said, will have a total length of 110 km with a speed potential of 350 km and the whole distance can be covered in less than 30 minutes.

Sreedharan, stressing on the fact that the DMRC has experience in preparing feasibility reports for such projects said: “...It would take us about four months and cost about Rs 50 lakh (for feasibility study). It will bring out the technical standards to be adopted, the route to be followed, expected cost of line, ridership forecast, funding options, financial viability, project completion period, institutional arrangements for the implementation and legal cover necessary.”

He said that the Kerala Government has already accepted the feasibility report submitted by the DMRC for a HSRL between Thiruvananthapuram and Kasaragod, covering 560 km, to be covered in less than three hours.

“Kerala has accepted the report, based on which it has asked DMRC to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for this project and the work on it is going on,” Sreedharan said, adding that logically, such a line should be extended from Kasaragod to Mangalore/Udupi in Karnataka, which is being taken up separately.

If the Government of Karnataka is interested in the Bangalore-Mysore proposal, Sreedharan said, DMRCL will be happy to offer the terms and conditions for taking up such a project.