The Extended Board of Railways (EBR) has approved the Rs159.9bn ($2.26bn) Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project in the Indian state of Karnataka.
The additional details of the project, such as clearances and cost break-up, have not been revealed.
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Union Minister of State for Railways Suresh Angadi said: “In order to fast track the Bengaluru Suburban Rail, the Extended Railway Board met today and has given its clearance.”
The project now needs to be approved by the Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA).
Angadi said: “With the approval of Extended Railway Board, the project has received 90% of the clearance required.
“Shortly, it will go before the cabinet for final approval. It is a 50:50 project by the central and state governments. Measures will be taken to form a special purpose vehicle for implementation of the project.”
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By GlobalDataSpanning over 148.17km, the suburban rail project will have 57 stations. The rail line will consist of four corridors, Krantivira Sangolli Rayanna (Bengaluru City)-Kempe Gowda International Airport, Baiyappanahalli-Yesvantpur, Kengeri-Whitefield and Hellalige-Rajanakunte.
To improve connectivity, the rail network will be linked to around 10 metro stations in the city.
The project is expected to complete by 2025.
In February, Switzerland-based ABB secured a $42m contract to deliver traction equipment to Indian Railways to improve operational efficiency.
In March last year, Indian Railways planned to invest $11bn into a signalling system project across the country to improve the safety of journeys.
In February, the Government of India allocated Rs1.48tn ($23.3bn) for Indian Railways as part of the country’s annual budget, representing a 13% increase over last year’s figure.
