After more than a decade of planning setbacks and shifting priorities, Bengaluru has taken a decisive step towards rail-based access to its international airport. Indian Railways has approved funding of ₹4,100 crore for the long-pending airport rail link under the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project, formally clearing the way for suburban trains to reach Kempegowda International Airport. For a city grappling with extreme congestion and rising carbon emissions, the decision reshapes how millions could travel to the airport in the years ahead.
The airport connection forms part of the Majestic–Devanahalli suburban rail corridor, one of the most strategically important routes in the project. Urban planners have long flagged the corridor as critical, given that airport-bound road traffic alone accounts for nearly one lakh vehicle trips daily. With the approval now in place, officials say construction planning can move forward without further alignment uncertainty. Under the final design, the rail line will branch off from the main corridor near Ballari Road, beyond the Doddajala station, before curving towards the airport from the southern edge. An 8.5-kilometre dedicated spur will serve emerging residential and employment clusters through stations planned at BK Halli Road and Aerospace Park areas that have seen rapid industrial and real estate growth over the past decade.
Within airport limits, the project introduces a 3.5-kilometre underground section, a rare feature for suburban rail in India. Two underground stations are planned, including a terminal station located close to airport hospitality and transit hubs, with integration planned across multiple transport modes. Infrastructure will be built for longer trains, allowing capacity expansion as passenger volumes rise, even though services will initially run with shorter rakes. The approval marks a turnaround for a project that had earlier lost momentum due to concerns over duplication with the city’s metro expansion. While the metro’s airport corridor continues to face its own execution challenges, transport experts say suburban rail offers a complementary, higher-capacity alternative that can serve both daily commuters and airport users at lower per-passenger emissions.
Delays linked to land acquisition and contractor withdrawals have previously slowed progress across the suburban rail network. Several corridors remain under construction despite deadlines announced years earlier. However, the airport link’s clearance is being viewed within government and industry circles as a signal that stalled urban rail projects may now receive sharper administrative focus. For Bengaluru, where economic growth has consistently outpaced transport capacity, the airport rail link is more than a connectivity upgrade. It represents a shift towards regional rail as an urban backbone—one that could ease road dependence, improve travel reliability, and support a more climate-resilient metropolitan expansion if executed on schedule.
