42-kilometre elevated rail to boost mobility in Bengaluru

BENGALURU: The Bengaluru Airport Rail Link (BARL), an SPV formed in 2007 to provide a high speed rail link to the Kempe Gowda International Airport, is back in business but for a different project.

The BARL is now focusing on a Rs 10,000 crore 42- km elevated light rail link from Ganapati temple on Bannerghatta Road to Hebbal, and from Magadi Road Toll Gate to the proposed Peripheral Ring Road near the newly formed Kempe Gowda layout.

According to  secretariat sources, the ELRTS project has come up before the state cabinet for discussion. “There were many problems over land acquisition and funding in the high speed rail link project to the airport. So after much deliberation it was handed over to the BMRCL.  BARL is now focusing on the ELRTS, which is finally taking shape,’’ said an officer.

The big ticket ELRTS is expected to cater to residential localities in South and West Bengaluru and act as a feeder line to  Namma Metro’s  East-West and North-South corridors.

Its route will cover the  Bannerghatta Road-Kanakapura Road-Mysore Road, Bangalore University at Malathahalli (outside campus) - Ambedkar Engineering College–Magadi Road-Peenya-Tumkur Road, HMT Layout, BEL Circle on ORR and finally Hebbal.

“If you carefully look at this alignment you see that ELRTS will integrate with Namma Metro routes and address the last mile connectivity issue,’’ the officer explained.

The carrying capacity of the ELRTS will be 30,000 passengers  one way every hour. “It is based on the moving blocks concept which works on Communication Based Train Control (CBTC). The ELRTS ,which will run on the ORR median, is much easier to implement and is less costly to build when compared to the traditional Metro Rail.

Many places like Singapore, Hong Kong, Bangkok and Seoul  in the Asia Pacific with a high density population have gone in for it  and it has worked wonders for them,’’ he added.

The project report has  laid down avenues for mobilising funds as real estate is expected to be in great demand along the route. “The idea is  not to depend on the government of India for funding. Once cleared by the cabinet, more details will emerge on revenue generation, which could set a precedent for public projects in  future," sources said.