DCM D K Shivakumar’s wish list: Five RRTS lines & tunnel road

Deputy Chief Minister D K Shivakumar on Sunday urged Prime Minister Narendra Modi to sanction Rs 1.5 lakh crore for various projects in Bengaluru, including building the tunnel road and five Rapid Rail Transit System (RRTS) lines spanning 394 km.

He wrote a letter to Modi during the latter’s visit to Bengaluru on Sunday.

The deputy CM said the construction of urban tunnels, Bengaluru Business Corridor (Peripheral Ring Road), integrated solid waste management plants, elevated roads along metro lines, flyovers, additional drinking water projects, new roads over stormwater drains and RRTS would require Rs 1.5 lakh crore.

“As Karnataka is the second highest tax-paying state in the country, contributing about Rs 4.5 lakh crore annually to the national exchequer, I request the government of India to extend funding support to Bengaluru on (a) par with Delhi,” he wrote.

He said Delhi-Meerut RRTS line has “come up very well” and needs to be replicated elsewhere, including Bengaluru. This is the first time that RRTS has been officially proposed.

The announcement has come as a surprise. The state government has pushed for building metro connectivity between Bengaluru and neighbouring towns.

BMRCL is even studying the feasibility of building metro along two of the five RRTS lines proposed by Shivakumar.

Experts support semi-high-speed rail alternatives like the RRTS to connect cities located 50-200 km apart, noting that the metro is a better option for intra-city commute. On the RRTS, trains operate at an average speed of 100 kmph, unlike the metro’s 34 kmph. Stations are also located farther apart.

In June, Bangalore Central MP, P C Mohan, requested the railways to conduct feasibility studies for constructing RRTS corridors to connect Bengaluru-Mandya-Mysuru, Bengaluru–Ramanagar, Bengaluru-Tumakuru and Bengaluru–Kolar.

Unlike the Railways’ broad gauge (1,676 mm) lines, RRTS trains operate on standard gauge (1,435 mm). While both use 25kV AC for their Overhead Electrical Equipment (OHE), RRTS requires dedicated tracks. Namma Metro uses 750V DC to supply power to trains through third rail.