Online forum gives suburban rail network a thumbs up

Ever since D V Sadananda Gowda took over as the Railway Minister, the clamour for a suburban rail network in the City, which has been in the pipeline for over two years now, is gaining momentum yet again.

Voices favouring such a rail system that will connect the ever-expanding City with its suburbs are growing on an online forum supported by various citizens’ groups.

The survey which began two days ago has had over 200 people responding positively and underlining the need for suburban rail connectivity.

The campaign titled ‘Suburban Rail aka Namma Railu’ is led by Praja RAAG and supported by various citizens’ groups.

The inputs and feedback received from people by the end of this survey will be compiled into a Detailed Project Report and handed over to the authorities concerned.


In fact, another online petition system has been introduced to get maximum responses for the project, insisting that the railway minister make announcements and budgetary sanctions for the project in the ensuing budget.

Sanjeev Dyamannavar from Praja said that the proposal aims to introduce frequent trains from suburban towns to make it easier for people to commute.

The survey is intended to record feedback, in support of Namma Railu in particular and public transport in general.

Former railway minister Mallikarjuna Kharge had also said on several occasions that a suburban rail network for Bangalore is under active consideration.

The Rail Indian Technical and Economic Services (RITES) has already submitted a report on the need for such a rail network.

Also, the officials concerned were asked to look into the project’s feasibility and study the proposal submitted by RITES.

The South Western Railway has favoured introduction of a suburban rail system and the Railway Board is yet to take a call on the same.

The suburban rail network will help connect the City to nearby towns and taluks, including Chikkaballapur, Bangarpet, Mandya and Tumkur.

The project needs an investment of Rs 10,000 crore to begin with.

The State government had given the green signal for phase 1 of the long-pending project in March 2013.