Post Railway tech experts in Suburban Railway Project: M B Patil to Railway Minister

Bengaluru: Reiterating that the State government is serious about the BSRP, he said that the Centre should give quick approvalsKarnataka Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil on Saturday asked Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to post a technical expert from Railways at the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP), instead of indulging in blame game. Patil was reacting to Vaishnaw’s recent remark that the Karnataka government should transform Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited (KRIDE) by engaging people with high technical expertise for the timely completion of the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP).

“Even I know the blame game. What prevented the Government of India to take it up as their own project? They often raise the issue of a permanent Managing Director. They want MDs with technical expertise. They have many technical experts. They can post an expert here,” the Minister told reporters here at Gollahalli Railway U-Girder Casting Yard.

“This is not logical. Even the chairperson of the Railway Board is not a technical expert. I don’t believe in blame games. Such things should not happen. We have a friendly relation (with the Centre),” Patil said.

The Minister blamed the Railways for the delay in completion of the project and asked Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya for an explanation.

“Just see, Railway land has not been handed over to us yet for Corridor-4. They are taking too much time for design approvals. Bengaluru South BJP MP Tejasvi Surya should explain this as well,” Patil said. Surya had recently said that the Indian Railways can take over BSRP as the K-RIDE is delaying it. Patil reminded Surya that even if Centre takes up the BSRP project, there will be some land acquisitions concerning the state government. “Will land acquisition happen fast? Getting the land (for the project) itself has become difficult for us,” Patil said.

According to him, a circular railway around Bengaluru as proposed by the Railway officials will also require the suburban railway to be connected with it and hence, it is necessary to fast track the land transfer process. “It’s easy to make a remark, but being a responsible person I would not like to do that. We have to sit together with the Centre to execute the BSRP. A proposal has been submitted to fill the gap between suburban Railway and the circular rail,” Patil said.

Reiterating that the State government is serious about the BSRP, he said that the Centre should give quick approvals. “We have not taken it lightly. There could be delay from both the sides due to various reasons but the Centre has to be fast in giving approvals,” the Minister said. Sharing details about the BSRP, Patil said that India’s first ever 100 feet (31m) U-Girder is being erected for the project at Gollahalli here.

Terming it as a technological feat, the minister said that till date only 28m U-Girders have been used for metro railway projects. These girders will be used to construct a viaduct (elevated section) of around eight km from Hebbal to Yeshvantpur which is a part of the ‘Mallige’ line or Corridor-2 of BSRP.

On this stretch alone, about 450 girders will be required, BSRP officials said. The L&T yard at Gollahalli also casts I-Girders and Pier Caps, the officials said, adding that 323 and 283 of these respectively will be used along Corridor-2.

According to Patil, the first BSRP train will start operating in December 2025 and all the four corridors will be completed by December 2027. The estimated cost of the BSRP is Rs 15,767 crore. Total land required is 582 acres of which 327 is Railway land, 153 state government land and 101.68 acres

private land.