Construction activities of BSRP have come to a standstill at Lingarajapuram in Bengaluru.
| Photo Credit: SUDHAKARA JAIN
Bengaluru’s long-awaited Suburban Railway Project came under the spotlight at a review meeting conducted on Friday, August 29, where MoS for Railways V. Somanna promised to convene a separate meeting with senior officials and the Karnataka government to address persistent delays.
His assurance follows The Hindu’s ‘Spotlight’ report published on August 29, titled “A dream derailed”, which highlighted the project’s setbacks, including contractor exits, land acquisition issues, and lack of coordination between agencies.
“I have discussed the matter thoroughly today with officials. I will take this up with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw soon. I recently travelled by suburban trains in Chennai and Kolkata and observed its success there. Yes, I agree that Bengaluru’s project has been delayed considerably,” Mr. Somanna said at a press conference after the review meeting.
He added that a dedicated review with State government officials and MPs would be held within the next 20 to 25 days to explore whether the Railways should directly take over the project from the Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company (K-RIDE) and implement it.
P.C. Mohan, MP for Bangalore Central, reiterated that the State government’s lack of urgency in land acquisition was a major hurdle, urging the Railways to take full control of the project. Speaking to The Hindu, Mr. Mohan said, “The delay is happening because of land acquisition. The suburban rail is badly needed for Bengaluru, but the state government is not showing enough interest. That is why I requested the Railways to take over the entire project and implement it directly.”
Sanctioned in October 2020, the 148-km network was originally expected to be completed in phases by October 2023, well before the final deadline of October 2026. When Prime Minister Narendra Modi laid the foundation stone in June 2022, he assured Bengaluru citizens that the long-pending project would be delivered within 40 months, finally ending a four-decade wait.
However, progress has been sluggish. In a major setback earlier this month, Larsen & Toubro (L&T) terminated its contracts for two corridors Chikkabanavara to Bennigenahalli and Heelalige to Rajankunte citing project delays and unresolved issues.
Published – August 29, 2025 10:08 pm IST
