- Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project will link Bengaluru to its satellite townships, suburbs, and surrounding rural areas through a rail-based rapid-transit system network.
KRIDE (Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited) has invited bids for from firms to handle the design, manufacture, supply, commissioning, operation, and maintenance of rolling stock for the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project under a public-private partnership (PPP) model.
KRIDE, a joint venture of the Government of Karnataka and Ministry of Railways, is tasked with the implementation of a 148 km line suburban network in the city that will comprise of four corridors.
The elected will design, procure, test, commissioning, fund, and work relevant clearances from government instrumentalities.
As per the finalised DPR of the suburban rail project, the selected will also install, operate, and maintain machinery and plants at depots, as well as leasing and maintaining trains and providing train operators.
The selected bidder is expected to make 264 cars available to K-RIDE on a lease basis and supply Trains i.e. three or six Cars each to be decided by the authority at the Bid Stage.
To meet the traffic demand, 3200 mm wide AC rolling stock will be for running suburban rail services in Bengaluru. Other parameters of the proposed train system include trains designed to run at a maximum speed of 90 kmph.
A 25 KV Over Head Equipments (OHE) traction system has been proposed for the corridors. The power supply will be through TSS (Traction Sub Stations), as identified for the corridors.
OHE is a system of conductors / equipments carrying traction power from traction sub station to electric locomotive.
Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project
The commuter rail network will cover 148.17 km and comprise four corridors and 57 stations.
Sampige (Corridor 1): KSR Bengaluru – Devanahalli (41 km) connecting Kempegowda International Airport
Mallige (Corridor 2): Baiyappanahalli – Chikkabanavara (25.14 km)
Parijatha (Corridor 3) from Kengeri to Whitefield (35.52 km)
Kanaka (Corridor 4): Heelalige – Rajankunte (46.24 km)
The suburban rail project is estimated to cost ₹15,767 crore. Both the State and Union governments will each bear 20 per cent of the cost, while the remaining 60 per cent will be raised through external sources.
The project was first proposed in 1983 by a southern railways expert team and was estimated to span 58 km. The proposal was included in Karnataka’s first transportation survey, commissioned by then-chief minister R Gundu Rao.
On 20 June, Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation for the suburban rail project in the city. He promised that the project would be completed in 40 months.
Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project will link Bengaluru to its satellite townships, suburbs, and surrounding rural areas through a rail-based rapid-transit system network.