Groundwork quickens to build first piers for Bengaluru suburban railway project

Groundwork has accelerated to build the first piers for the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP), more than eight months after the contract was awarded for the Mallige Line.

Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited has shifted all utilities (signalling and telecommunication lines, power cables, etc) along the Mallige Line that will connect Baiyappanahali to Chikkabanavar via Hebbal, an official said.

The 25.2-km Mallige Line will have an 8.02-km elevated line. The contract for the design and construction of the viaduct was awarded to L&T last year with a 24-month deadline. However, the first test piles have only been cast recently at Hebbal and Yeshwantpur.

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The work was held up by delays in utility line shifting and land acquisition. After months of painstaking work, considerable progress has been made on both fronts, officials said.

The groundwork for Section 4 of the Mallige Line has begun significantly, according to Vijay Kumar, General Manager (Civil), Corridor-2, K-RIDE.

Pre-construction activities are almost complete, he says. Border wall construction is underway. A number of other preliminary works have also been accomplished, including surveys, geotechnical investigations and ground penetration reports. Environmental and social impact assessments have also been completed. At Yeshwantpur, a batching plant has been installed.

According to the official, the first piers will be built in the next few months.

This apart, K-RIDE has received 22,074 square metres (5.4 acres) of private land for the Mallige Line. The Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board (KIADB) has paid landowners for 14,363 square metres and will soon pay for the remainder.

The KIADB acquired 174 pieces of open land and 89 structures situated in Yeshwantpur, Hebbal, Nagavara and Banaswadi, said an official directly aware of the matter.

Another official said K-RIDE had paid KIADB Rs 262 crore and received 5.11 acres.

K-RIDE previously received all the 157.07 acres of railway land it needed for the Mallige Line.

In June 2022, Prime Minister Narendra Modi set a 40-month for the 148-km BSRP, which seems improbable given the pace of work.

3 defence properties to go

K-RIDE needs three defence properties measuring 8.85 acres for the Mallige Line. These belong to the Banaswadi Garrison (1.3 acres), Air Force Station, Jalahalli (3.05 acres), and Chief Quality Assurance Establishment (Warship Equipment), Yeshwantpur (4.5 acres).

K-RIDE has signed an MoU with AFS Jalahalli and will receive the land next week, an official said.

Discussions have also been completed with the Board of Officers about acquiring the other two properties. MoUs will be signed shortly, another source said.

This apart, K-RIDE needs 2.72 acres of land from state govt agencies (BWSSB, Lidkar and Karnataka Veterinary, Animal and Fisheries Sciences University).

K-RIDE also needs 5.01 acres of BDA land in 37 survey numbers, which has become a sticking point, an official said.

Station work tender

K-RIDE has prepared a tender for the construction of 12 stations on the Mallige Line and will invite bids next week, an official said.

The stations will come up at Baiyappanahalli Terminal, Kasturi Nagar, Sevanagar, Banaswadi, Nagawara, Kanakanagar, Hebbal, Lottegollahalli, Yeshwantpur, Shettihalli, Myadarahalli and Chikkabanavar.

Two more stations will be built at Kaveri Nagar and Jalahalli in the future.

Tenders will also be called for the Detailed Design Consultant (DCC) contract for the Yeshwantpur depot.

Traffic diversion

As the work gathers pace, K-RIDE has requested the police to divert traffic on certain roads. A decision is expected soon.

Other lines

Tenders for the Kanaka Line (46.44-km Heelalige-Rajanukunte) of the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project will be opened only after the elections.

Tenders for the Sampige Line (41.478 km KSR Bengaluru-Airport) and the Parijata Line (35.52 Kengeri-Whitefield) will be invited only after K-RIDE secures funding from the European Investment Bank (EIB) and the German investment and development bank KfW.

K-RIDE has sought a €800-million loan from them.