The Hindu : Metro railway project may be revived

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Dec 27, 2002

Southern States

Southern States - Karnataka-Bangalore

Metro railway project may be revived

By Our Special Correspondent

Bangalore Dec. 26. With the completion of the first phase of the Delhi Metro rail project, there are hopes of the Metro Railway Project for Bangalore being revived.

The Managing Director of Delhi Metro Railway Corporation, E. Sreedharan, has been quoted as saying that studies conducted so far show that the metro project for Bangalore is quite feasible. He has said that civil works on the rail system could begin from April 1 next year if the State Government agrees to finalise the funding for the project.

Mr. Sreedharan has said that engineering and soil tests conducted in Bangalore are positive, and a complete report will be ready by the end of March. The Union Urban Development Minister, Ananth Kumar, confirmed this while talking to presspersons in Delhi.

The metro corridors, through which the rail system will pass, will have to be finalised in consultation with the local government and town planning experts. As in the case of the Delhi Metro, in Bangalore too, there will be a combination of underground and surface rail tracks, and some elevated sections.

A possible route which has been suggested for the Bangalore Metro is from Peenya Industrial Area through Dr. Rajkumar Road and Navrang and Majestic Circles to Vidhana Soudha, and then onwards to HAL Airport. There could be branch lines to connect the suburbs with the central business district.

Mr. Ananth Kumar has indicated that Mr. Sreedharan will visit Bangalore soon to review the progress of the study on the Metro project, and hold discussions with the Chief Minister, S.M. Krishna.

The State Government is not known to have sent any proposal regarding the Metro rail project to Delhi.

The State Government will have to the scrap the proposal on the Elevated Light Rail Transport System for which United Breweries was selected, according to Mr. Ananthkumar. UB has practically opted out of the ELRTS project, reportedly because it could not find parties to invest adequate funds. The formal reason given was that the "project was not found feasible".

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