This is indeed a great news to hear, and a great relief for regular commuters. Daily they had to travel in long distance trains without seats very uncomfortably.

A big thanks to Syed, IDS, Pranav, Sanjeev,Srinidhi and co praja bloggers who pushed it.

Hope the future govt. takes it forward. congress leader is planning to write to ECI not to take up any kind of project approvals till the elections...I only hope Namma Railu should not be affected by this..

yes its a great news..atlast govt approved it...big thanks to people who are behind it...

Really looking forward -- 

Sanjay/satya/srinidhi/muralidhar rao/syed bahi/hemanth - all must be very happy to see this development...

Regards

Kamal 

SWR ays related file pending for clearance with Railway Board

Two years have passed since the Union Railway budget sanctioned a passenger train service between Bangalore and Nelamangala. But for residents and regular commuters on this route, the dream of seeing trains operate on this line has not materialised.

Although the Commissioner of Railway Safety approved the track in April 2012, officials with South Western Railway (SWR) explained that a related file on the Bangalore-Nelamangala train is pending for clearance with the Railway Board in New Delhi.

But Sanjeev D, a transport expert, placed the blame squarely on SWR, accusing it of not making any effort to open the new line, even when the State government is sharing the cost of the Bangalore-Hassan railway line (of which the Bangalore-Nelamangala line is a part).

“The Bangalore-Tumkur railway line branches out at Chikkabanavara and becomes the Bangalore-Hassan line, passing through Nelamangala, Kunigal and other places,” he said.

“Platform and station facilities have already been created in Nelamangala. With no trains being operated, however, the station has fallen into disuse.”

“The opening of the line will go a long way in addressing the commuting needs of hundreds of passengers, especially office-goers, who depend on BMTC buses and other transport means to reach their destinations in the City,” he said.

“Many passengers feel that operating trains on the stretch will go a long way in providing smoother and faster connectivity.”

Public criticism

Public exasperation over the lack of progress on the line has been mounting and has even led to a complaint being filed with the Railway Board, an official said.

A senior official at SWR’s head office in Hubli said lack of political will was also to blame for the delay. At a meeting held in the Vidhana Soudha in March 2012, the then Union Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa had promised to open the line within a month. “Several months went by and there was no positive action. Now, the Railway Board is said to have cited the code of conduct for the Assembly polls as the reason for the delay,” he said.

“The Railway Board can give its nod for a quiet opening of the line, keeping in view the interests of the people. SWR has been spending large sums of money for the maintenance of the track and station at Nelamangala. This project should not be neglected,” he said.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/321640/two-years-bangalore-nelamangala-train.html

Let Railway Board open this line without any function similar to BIAL opening was done in 2008 May

An article in Deccan Chronicle..

It mentions Pranav aka Silkboard's name as well and Praja:

http://www.deccanchronicle.com/130405/news-current-affairs/article/bengaluru-local

One more addition to commuter rail service although it is not on an hourly basis but just rail connectivity. South Western Railway announced a new passenger train to Nelamangala with two double decker chair car coaches from April 25.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/city/bangalore/SWR-on-a-spree-to-announce-new-trains/articleshow/19731937.cms
 

Thanks Syed.

We will try to make trip on Nelamangala Train some time soon.

This Train will help Chikbanavar station passengers like Medical & engineering  students for return in the evening towards city

Passengers @ Nelmangla

is here, on this separate post, with more pictures: Report on Nelamangala Commuter Train

Resurrecting Commuter Rail

Using the City’s existing rail infrastructure, the Commuter Rail Service (CRS) proposal offered suburbs-bound commuters a quick and cheap alternative, an escape from the gridlocked roads.

But, finding no mention in the Railway Budget 2013-14, CRS was destined for the cold storage. Informed experts and concerned citizens now want at least the first phase launched as a pilot skeletal service, with a few modifications to the project as envisaged by infrastructure consultants, Rail India Technical and Economic Solutions (RITES).

First, where the project stands today. The RITES had submitted its final report on the project to the State Directorate of Urban Land Transport (DULT) in August 2012. The BJP government in the State had reportedly cleared the CRS project in March 2013 in a Cabinet meeting and the proposal sent to the Railway Board in Lucknow.

However, the Board could not take a quick decision on the funding. Result: It found no mention in the railway budget.

But the project need not wait another year. Eager to resurrect the eminently workable CRS, Satinder Pal Cho­pra, a seasoned researcher on railways, has suggested a few modifications to kickstart the project’s Phase 1A.
Four lakh to be benefitted
“About three to four lakh passengers will be benefitted by just this initial phase alone,” he told Deccan Herald.
Citing the Railways’ policy of giving operational priority to suburban trains (over long distance Express trains) while framing railway time-tables, Chopra recommends that all trains under CRS should halt at the City and Cantonment railway stations for not more than five minutes.
This would ensure that the schedule of other trains is unaffected.
Since Platforms 3, 7 and 9 at the City station are occupied only less than 50 per cent of the day, Chopra says the suburban trains on the Bangalore City-Malur section could berth at Platform 3, the City-Ramanagara section on Platform 7  and the City-Yeshwantpur-Tumkur section on Platform 9. At the Yeshwantpur station, all these trains could stop at Platform 3. This arrangement would require only minor changes in timings / berthing of two to three long distance trains.
Designed this way, the CRS first phase could accommodate 20 suburban services on the City-Malur section, 16 on the City-Ramanagara section, six each on the City-Tumkur, Yeshwantpur-Tumkur and Yeshwantpur-Hosur sections, and two services on the Cantonment-Hosur sector.
The RITES report, however, had sought the construction of two more platforms at the City station, exclusively for commuter trains. Its rationale: The 10 platforms are fully occupied and there is hardly any slot on any platform for handling additional trains.
Sub-urban trains are operated with Main Electric Multiple Units (MEMU) and Diesel Electric Multiple Units (DEMU).  These trains accelerate and decelerate much faster than the normal trains. Currently, the South Western Railways operate six MEMU and 10 DEMU services as passenger trains daily.
In all, the SWR use only one MEMU rake (combination of coaches) and three DEMU rakes. Chopra’s recommendation is to add three more DEMU and four more MEMU rakes to join this fleet, for the first phase of CRS.
The four additional MEMU rakes could be shared between the City-Malur and City-Ramanagara sections. The three DEMU rakes could operate on the Cantonment-Hosur, City- Yeshwantpur-Tumkur, and Yeshwantpur-Hosur sectors.
 

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/334502/first-phase-crs-benefit-four.html

Will new CM clear this project  and when will the proposal move to Center???

Thanks to efforts of Mr Satindra Pal Chopra.  Now Nelamangala citizens also making efforts to get morning and evening trains from Bangalore. 

Turning it into a pass-through station will boost efficiency, say experts

Source - Deccan Herald

"...The acutely overstretched Bangalore City Railway Station (Code: SBC) could dramatically improve its efficiency if converted from a terminal to a pass-through station.

But this recommendation by a RITES survey would mean a radical redesign of the Station, virtually impossible with only 3.3 acres of the 16-acre Binny Mills land handed over to the South Western Railway. 

Currently, the Station’s 10 platforms, six pit lines (maintenance lines) and eight stabling lines (during idling hours) are grossly inadequate to handle even an additional train. Since the SBC evolved historically as a terminal, there is no interconnectivity of all the platform lines, which is critical for the smooth functioning of any big station.

Ideally, all platform lines should be universal. This system would have allowed trains from or to any direction (Baiyappanahalli, Yeshwanthpura or Mysore side) to enter or exit any platform line. But this universal choice is uniquely unavailable at the City Station..."

It will be win win for city and Railways in long run and may be next 50 / 75 years. Will the current govt acts swiftly on this Cabinet decision taken in March'2013?

Here are the links

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The delegation also appealed the Planning Commission for approval of the Phase 2 of the Bangalore Metro and a sub-urban railway project for the city at a cost of Rs 8,759 crore.

http://newindianexpress.com/states/karnataka/State-seeks-funds-for-projects/2013/06/27/article1654915.ece

Its good that new CM is making efforts on the Commuter Rail.

I still wounder has the GOK sent any formal request to Central Govt like : Railway Board, Planning Commission, Urban Development Dept  for Commuter Rail???

Without the request with Central Govt,  its of no use,  efforts made by CM or any others.  So its State Govt has to shoot the strong  request  to Center with out any second thought.

Budget presented  now by CM Karnataka :

For Bangalore:

Rs 2250 crores allocated for peripheral ring road.
Arkavathy Layout sites to be allotted by March, 2014.
Rs 600 crores BDA complex at RT Nagar.
Rs 4150 crores JNNURM projects in Bangalore and Mysore.
To develop International Convention Centre at Devanahalli.
M G Road and Brigade roads to  get wi-fi.
Kempe Gowda layout to be formed by March, 2014 for 5000 allotees.
Bangalore Suburban Rail Corporation to be set up soon.
Indian Institute of Public Health to come up in Bangalore.
All RTO offices in Bangalore to be computerised.
Four more RTO offices in Bangalore.
Rs 150 crore allotted for elevated road between Jayadeva Hospital and Silk Board.
Rs 250 crores allotted for developing infrastructure in 110 villages that has been added to BBMP.
1.6 lakh saplings to be planted at a cost of Rs 20 crores.
Sarjapur and Bannerghata roads to be widened at a cost of Rs 300 crores.
Rs 500 crores earmarked for grade separators at important junctions.

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/344341/live-blog-karnataka-budget-2013.html

Hope this CM and other are serious on this and with Railway Minister who is very active for Karnataka,  this project shoud see light of the day soon.