Hi,
The planned gauge conversion of the existing Kolar-Chikballapur line appears meaningless & expensive since one wonders how useful it would be. How many trains will actually be run ? How many people will eventually travel between these two towns ?
It would make far better sense to provide a new line deviating from the existing Yelahanka-Chikballapur line, going past BIAL, crossing NH-207 (Hoskote-Chikballapur highway) at Sullibele, & reaching Kolar with much shorter distance. Trains can then be run between Bangarpet to Byappanahalli or even to Yeswantapur /City via Kolar, Sullibele, BIAL and Yelahanka.
This will also solve the problem of suburban rail connectivity to BIAL /DBP, etc. as also reduce train traffic cutting through the city along the City-Whitefield-Bangarpet line, which is already overcrowded.
Though HSRL is an expensive proposition, the value of a fast, dedicated rail connectivity for the airport for future needs of air travellers & employees working at the airport (& cargo complexes) cannot be over-emphasized, given that the airport is too far from city center - private parties have shown interest & HSRL can become a reality side by side with suburban rail.
Metro connectivity might not be viable since such high volumes might not become a reality anytime soon.
Forward this Blog entry
Comments
The farce called IR
If somebody can justify traffic on that boon docks line they should be hanged for asking justification for commuter rail line which pass thru the city. Its a comedy that tirupati train goes with 1 beggar on board and then this farcical line get made because Mr MoS can only garner that much influence.
I am sorry to say but Indian Railways is more abused by the politicians than a hooker in a red light district. Billions of rupees and the RD parade Railway Tablaeux runs with Rabindra sangeet & huge PoP Tagore busts all around. Has it been converted into Bengal State Govt Undertaking? Why does the rest of the country pay this monopoly taxes?
It could be good for CRS
Whatever that comes up within 100 km from Bangalore should be good for CRS, imo. This rail line is about 70 km if I am not wrong. May be this line could be extended around the city in the future. I am happy some extra lines are constructed. If such lines are constructed the people will use and enjoy railway and then there could increased demand.
Trains where needed
Whatever that comes up within 100 km from Bangalore should be good for CRS
Agreed - as long as new tracks are laid (or existing ones improved) where commuters need it & commuter traffic is expected; & is not based on future political potential to win elections by our leaders.
It is clear that the existing narrow-gauge (Chikballapur-Kolar) line is being pushed for conversion by Moily & Muniyappa since they won elections from these constituencies - clearly for political advantage during next elections (Muniyappa has won from Kolar 6 times already).
The investment on this line conversion is not based on a cost-to-benefit analysis. Traffic to /from Bangalore is far higher than between Kolar & Chikballapur.
Without this line
Without this line Chikballapur and Kolar are kind of dead-ends. The trains have to start or end there that is there should be exclusive trains to those places. If those two are conected the trains can run in a circular route.
This railway line also could have enough passengers since there are lots of buses running to Kolar, Chintamani, etc. The number of buses to a place can be used as a market survey tool for railways.
This route could help long distance trains, I guess with some realignment. We could suggest the EDGE station somewhere in that region, which will reiforce the need for CRS.
Be Realistic
If those two are conected the trains can run in a circular route
The city does not have a circular rail route yet at it's periphery & you seem to be lending support for a long rail line over 84km length (& correspondingly high costs), suggesting part of a "circular" rail connecting few minor towns with populations merely in the tens of thousands, & which are about 60km away!
In comparison, Bangalore's population is nearly 80 lakhs (probably equivalent to 100 or more such towns put together) & the length of it's ORR is about 62km - far much less than the part of the circular line that you suggest.
Besides, circular railways - wherever built (far closer in the peripheries of large metropolises) have been total failures (Delhi & Kolkata). So, what would be the fate of a circular railway connecting a few minor towns ?
lots of buses running to Kolar, Chintamani, etc.
Not between Kolar & Chintamani or Chintamani & Chikballapur. As I mentioned, they are to & from Bangalore.
could help long distance trains, I guess with some realignment
Long distance trains use either the Bangarpet route (East bound) or the Dodballapur route (North bound). Chikballapur & Kolar are inbetween these two (in the North east quadrant). So, how will this line help long distance trains & what re-alignment were you referring to ?
Its whims and Fancys of Politicans getting projects
Was talking to my friends, it seems, so much wastage of resourcses in West Bengal by Railway Minister Mamata just for becoming state CM. Now surrounding Kolkotta, Intercity Trains are running so many, most of them are going empty it seems. Even long dist. Trains is the same fate.
What a wastage of National resourcses and Tax payesr money. Other side, when it comes to other demands of railway projects like Karnataka, Railway will always talks of RoR as 18%, then only it will think????
Other side, it poor planning by our so called planners : When Electronic city was planned, if this was planned on left side of Hosur road near to Chandapur / Heelalige by dist of 3-4 Kms, then Public Transport could have been thru Commuter Rail and same with ITPL also, they should have got this close to Whitefield station.
Now comes the BIAL Terminal, during construction of BIAL,, State & Center should have got extended the SWR Track upto BIAL Terminal and as suggested by Naveen, same line could have continued upto Kolar.
Same thing with METRO criss crossing at Mejestic, they should have given interchange just below the infront of Bangalore city Station, this would have helped all the three BMTC, KSRTC, SWR with METR., Even though cost if it would have gone, it would have provided real Transit Center at Majestic.
What MoS K H Muniyyappa and Moily r doing now is connecting Kolar to Chikballapur and one more line from Whitefield to Kolar, thes two lines will not help any one, just ego satisfaction of these MP's.
To further support this, they have got new line from Chikballpur to Sathy Sai Prasanth Nilayam. And doubling of Guntkal / Dodballapur to Yelahanka is neglected.
How can a commuter rail esp a circular loop help the city
This may be related to the topic of using existing railway lines and extending the same to connect important cities at affordable rates including BIAL. Here is an example of how Atlanta is leveraging on its old rail road circular loop to build a sustainable commuting and livable vibrant green city.
http://youtu.be/X-tMOQTn4...
I am not comparing ATL to BLR directly. But a concept that can benefit our cities in getting lots of things done more related videos here
Part 1 - http://youtu.be/c5wWTf_Nhxw
Part 2 http://youtu.be/G07509_Zt4w
Atlanta beltline - Close to CBDs
The total length will be 22 miles (35 km), running about 3 miles (5 km) on either side of Atlanta's elongated central business district - Source Wikipedia.
So, Atlanta's Beltline (running 5km close to CBD) cannot be compared with the chikballapur-kolar line situated some 60km from city center, nor even a circular line that includes BIAL (40km from city center).
What is comparable with the Atlanta beltline are only the existing rail tracks within the city (ORR) that are likely to be within 5km from CBD areas.
@santsub
Actually commuter rail with the SBC - BYP segment along Cantt. was called circular rail. This term remained so for a long time until we proposed that instead of circling the city which is already well covered by the metro, run trains to the suburban towns touching Bangalore where interchange can be made to other city transport systems like metro, BMTC etc. We proposed using the YPR BYP segment along Hebbal instead to allow for future upgrades to dedicated lines, which is not possible along the cantt route. This probably makes it triangular now instead of circular!?
I meant If a rail line is
I meant If a rail line is built from Chikballapur to the existing line to Doddaballapur, the trains like goods trains that want to bypass Bangalore can use that route. That is one of the possible realignment, another is EDGE station. Agreed it is far fetched.
I was just suggesting some ways to utilize Chikballapur-Kolar line. In the future, may be more people could move to the regions around this line. The CRS is for the long-term, right?
As far as connection to BIAL, the route in the original post is good option. I am for more rail lines.
My idea of circular rail is 200 km rail project around Bangalore as demanded by CM. I dont understand why circular rails are making losses while ring roads are fully utilized, and we are building more of it. Maybe because people have not been given the option of rails for a long time.