Bengaluru’s suburban rail project has awarded contracts to remove five level crossings along Corridor 4, also known as the Kanaka Route, with the works covering four road overbridges and one road underbridge. The crossings are located along the proposed route between Heelalige and Rajanukunte, where road traffic currently stops when trains pass.
The contract has been awarded to the joint venture of SV Constructions India Private Limited and SLNS Earth Movers and Contractors. Bengaluru Integrated Rail Infrastructure Development Enterprise Limited, or B-RIDE, is implementing the level-crossing removal works alongside the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project.
Corridor 4 will connect Heelalige with Rajanukunte. The route has 16 level crossings in total, and the first phase will address five of them through two construction packages. Package 1 will include two road overbridges and one road underbridge. Package 2 will include two road overbridges.
The crossings identified for the first package are at Singena Agrahara, marked LC-125; Chintala Madiwala, marked LC-126; and near Hoskuru station, marked LC-127. The second package covers the crossings at Kodathi, marked LC-130, and Chinnappanahalli, marked LC-134.
At present, the crossings allow vehicles to pass when trains are not approaching, while gates are closed during train movements. The arrangement can create queues, particularly during busy periods, as road traffic waits for the gates to reopen. The planned grade-separated structures are intended to allow road and rail movements to continue without the same point-level conflict.
According to B-RIDE managing director Lakshman Singh, removing the crossings along Corridor 4 will improve road and railway safety, reduce traffic congestion and support smoother movement for passengers. He described the work as an important step in the development of the suburban rail project and said physical construction is expected to begin shortly.
The two contract packages also include service roads and drainage works. These additions mean that the project is not limited to the bridge or underpass structures themselves, but also covers supporting road infrastructure and water-flow arrangements around the crossings.
B-RIDE is developing four corridors under the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project. Work on Corridor 2, or the Mallige Route, between Chikkabanavara and Benniganahalli, is progressing, while civil works are also underway on Corridor 4. The level-crossing contracts form part of the broader effort to integrate road and rail infrastructure along the suburban rail alignments.
The immediate implementation milestone is the start of physical construction on the five crossings covered by the two awarded packages. The remaining 11 level crossings on Corridor 4 are not included in the first phase described by B-RIDE.
