Railway ministry plans Rs 6,000 cr expansion in Karnataka

Work begins on several new lines on a cost-sharing model with state government, which will spend Rs 3,600 crore

The Ministry of Railways has embarked on a rapid expansion of railway network in Karnataka on a cost-sharing basis with the state government to achieve the twin objective of connectivity to hinterland and economic growth of backward areas.

The ministry and Karnataka government have taken up new projects involving an investment of Rs 6,000 crore. The government of Karnataka will provide Rs 3,600 crore, minister of state for railways K H Muniyappa said today.

Some of the significant projects/schemes now in progress include doubling and new lines such as Tumkur-Rayadurga, Kudachi-Bagalkot, Whitefield-Kolar, Shimoga-Harihar, Kolar-Chikkaballapur, Hassan-Bangalore among others.

In the last three years, the railway ministry has sanctioned projects worth Rs 15,623 crore to improve railway infrastructure in Karnataka region, he said.

This includes 356 kms of new line and 568 kms of track doubling. In addition a new line between Bagalkot-Kudachi has been sanctioned at a cost of Rs 980 crore. Of this, projects costing Rs 1,213 crore have been completed, which include 46 kms of new line, 97 kms gauge conversion and 107 kms of track doubling.

Muniyappa said the newly laid Kadur-Chikmagalore BG line, a part of the Kadur-Chikamagalore-Belur-Sakakeshpur BG Line project, is in the final stages of completion and would be commissioned later this year. The track doubling work on the critical trunk route from Birur-Shivani is in full swing and is likely to be completed in this fiscal.

Other BG railway line projects like Hassan-Bangalore (Via Shravanabelagola), Tumkur-Rayadurg, Kolar-Chikkaballapur and doubling work between Ramanagaram-Mysore are being pushed on fast track to meet the deadline set for completion.

The work on the Mysore-Madikeri broad gauge line, being taken up on 50:50 cost sharing basis with the government of Karnataka, at an estimated cost of nearly Rs 700 crore, will begin in six months. The stretch between Mysore and Kushalanagar (90 km) will be completed in about five years' time. The completion of this project will put the Madikeri district for the first time on the railway map of India.