Bengaluru’s suburban rail project has accelerated, with the Chikkabanavara-Yeshwantpur section of the Mallige Corridor expected to begin services in 2028, according to a report citing Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company (K-RIDE) officials. Construction is under way on two corridors covering 30 stations, including elevated and ground-level sections.
The 27-km Mallige Corridor, connecting Baiyappanahalli and Chikkabanavara, is being built at an estimated cost of Rs 1,025.77 crore. Station construction is progressing at Benniganahalli, Kasturi Nagar, Sevanagar, Banaswadi, Nagawara, Kanakanagar, Hebbal, Mattikere, Yeshwantpur, Shettihalli, Maderasahalli and Chikkabanavara.
The report said CemenTech India and NCC have taken up station construction in two packages. A separate Rs 106.29-crore contract covers 5.80 km of ground-level and elevated work between Yeshwantpur and Chikkabanavara. Work that had been left incomplete after L&T withdrew from an earlier contract is also being continued between Benniganahalli, Banaswadi and Hebbal.
Small and major bridges, drainage works and retaining walls are under construction, with completion targeted within two years, according to the report. A contract for the double-decker structure between Yeshwantpur and Mattikere has been awarded to CemenTech India, with the work order expected shortly. K-RIDE has also invited tenders for a depot on 26 acres at Soladevanahalli, at an estimated cost of Rs 200 crore.
The 46-km Kanaka Corridor, linking Heelalige and Rajanukunte, is also being developed through two packages. Ground-level station works are planned or under way at Heelalige, Singena Agrahara, Huskur, Ambedkar Nagar, Carmelaram, Bellandur, Doddanekkundi, Kaggadasapura, Channasandra, Horamavu, Thanisandra, Jakkur, Muddanahalli and Rajanukunte.
Elevated stations are being built at Marathahalli, Hennur, Hegde Nagar and Yelahanka. K-RIDE officials said land acquisition required for the two corridors and their stations has been completed. Land needed for some flyovers and railway overbridges remains to be acquired.
K-RIDE managing director Laxman Singh said several processes were still pending but added that progress made in recent months indicated that the project was moving in the right direction and at an improved pace. He said construction was being carried out in coordination with the state government, the Union Railway Ministry and other partner agencies.
The agency plans to take up the 41-km Sampige Corridor between KSR Bengaluru and Devanahalli via Kempegowda International Airport after the current priority works. The 35.5-km Parijata Corridor between Kengeri and Whitefield is expected to follow. Indian Railways has approved both corridors, while a joint survey for land acquisition is under way. The statutory notification process under the Karnataka Industrial Areas Development Board Act is expected to take about a year after the survey is completed.
The project’s train supply schedule remains a separate concern. A contract has been signed for train deliveries to begin within 18 months, but transport expert Rajkumar Dugar told the publication that supplies could take more than two years. He also pointed to possible delays linked to testing and other technical requirements because the project is adopting a European-style signalling system. K-RIDE has not announced a revised operational date beyond the expectation that trains will run between Chikkabanavara and Yeshwantpur in 2028.
