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Commuter Rail - Will it really help ?

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As most of us are aware, the track record of suburban railways in the larger Indian cities has been pathetic. Other than Mumbai, there is'nt a single example where such a service has successfully attracted commuters & helped reduce road congestion. Most of them have been total failures.

The Delhi circular rail has been a complete failure & is used more for goods trains. Patronization levels are extremely poor, not to mention their Metro, which has also not fared well, thus far.

Chennai MRTS has been a total flop, but since they have already invested so much, there is no going back & other phases continue to be built, with a hope that revival might be around the corner once connectivity improves with the newer phases.

Hyderabad MMTS was losing about 1 crore each month. Currently, patronage levels are on the rise, probably due to high road congestion levels & also since many may be finding it a useful alternative to reach the newer technology clusters.

Kolkata's extensive suburban rail system includes a circular railway as well as a dedicated rail to connect to the airport. The circular & airport rail services are said to carry passengers numbering in single digits, sometimes. The Kolkata Metro has also not been successful, but all continue to run, since they have been installed.

Thus, investments estimated to cost hugely have tended to be put forward, without considering long-term implications of operating costs, passenger volumes & revenues. Given this abysmal record on cost, construction period lengths & poor traffic, the question is should we be investing in Commuter rail for Bangalore at all ?

To start with, the service would be handicapped with severe route restrictions, confined to only the existing track routes. Unless connectivity with Metro or faster bus services are provided from stations, this service may also end up in the same way.

One can understand why SWR has been so hesitant to get involved with this.

Comments

srkulhalli's picture

Wrong approach

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Cleverly worded - but wrong approach. As a city planner the question he should be asking himself is thus - Here is a very cost effective technology, simple and proven, capable of high capacity, efficient and non-polluting. How do I make best use of it to design by City's transport infrastructure ?

Suhas

Suhas

idontspam's picture

Holistic planning

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When SWR builds it is unable to ensure local transport drives traffic and that it becomes a part of the overall transport plan. All these plans get done in isolation. Parellel efforts nullify all the intentions. I gave the example of our Bangalore metro. I bet there will be parellel bus routes which will compete and hence take away traffic making the metro less effective. Commuter rail can come up but tell me wether there is a bus stand and bus routes just outside any of the stations? What are the buses routes that go outside malleshwaram station? Hebbal station? Lottegolahalli station? Byappanahalli station? Whitefield station? Chikkabanavara station? Where do these routes connect? Do you think BMTC will run routes that connect? if they connect what do they connect to? will there be integration with mono/metro/brts/trams? Holistic transport plan is not about saying things like "every layout will have a bus stand and depot". It is about drawing the entire capilary network. BMLTA has to in the front driving this... I havent heard them anywhere
idontspam's picture

Dont know why but...

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... I somehow get the feeling all the civic agencies have people who have unhealthy ego's. From their lowest helper to the head of the organization, they believe they are kings in their organization and everybody who seeks to talk to them and cooperate with them must be a lowly human being with no self respect and incapable of doing anything on their own. They believe cooperation is for sissies and thier job is their birthright they should preserve by treating the people they serve as slimes. What then can explain the apathy towards working together to solve peoples problems?
Naveen's picture

CRS & Transport Systems - User is Foremost

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"For a successful technology, reality must take precedence over public relations, for nature cannot be fooled" - Richard P Feynman, Physicist, 1918-1988. Suhas, IDS - both of you are very correct. My point is that if a suburban rail network is planned "where land is available", or "on existing tracks", or because it is a "proven technology", it will fail, as it has in various other cities. In the other larger cities, the development of suburban rail systems was more at the whims of politicians in an effort to claim credit & to garner fresh votes, come election time, with no detailed considerations for users - truly in vintage India's socialistic style ! The most appropriate technology is the one that meets the needs of the customers, & one that is shaped with full focus on users. As IDS pointed out, other than Byappanahalli, which is going to be a very large multi-modal center, none of the other CRS stations are well connected & linkages are non-existent, as of now. Malleswaram CRS station will also have an interchange with Metro phase-1. Whitefield, Hebbal & Yelahanka CRS stations might have interchanges during phase-2, but this is too far away. BMTC buses may be the only answer till then, if such is possible & planned well, but land issues for road widening & bus stations are the real obstacles. The remaining CRS stations have very poor transport links with bus since none of the mass transits may pass near them, even in the distant future. Given these facts, will CRS really be effective ? IDS - as regards bus services running parallel to Metro: In some cases, this may be unavoidable over some lengths as Metro runs mostly on the main arterial roads, over which buses will also have to be run. Further, the user types for bus may be different : For example, vendors with large baskets to & from city market /KR Puram - this group is highly bus dependent & this will continue as they would still need to use buses since Metro might not permit them, as I had mentioned elsewhere. A second example is school /college going students & staff - who would perhaps prefer to avoid a transfer & the time penalty involved + higher costs. A third example are the lower rungs of society, such as the deliverymen, the laborers, the factory workers, for whom higher costs are not acceptable for daily or regular commutes, & some delay in reaching their destinations is acceptable. The point here is that the reality in this country is quite different from existing international principles, where there is'nt much of a difference between the Metro user or the bus user. Maybe this is the reason why Delhi metro has not attracted much of a user base, despite it's well marketed image. As such, the targeted Metro users are the office executives, IT professionals, businessmen, students from professional colleges or school goers from higher rungs - the same groups that presently use cars, demand multi-level garages, flyovers & urban expressways. If we have to successfully address our congestion problems, we would have to align our transport systems based on these realities.
idontspam's picture

customization Vs alternative

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Again we have wrong images of customization for india. Retaining existing systems is not "customization". It becomes an "alternative". These are 2 different things. What would be a customization is if you can provide special passes on metro for different classes of societies. Passes for students, monthly discounted passes to lower strata of society distributed thru ration shops or local panchayats. We have to find ways of making a system include as many people as possible. Large baskets will give way to convinient and better packaging on customer demand. Before the supermarket came up we took our own bags, now we have a surfiet of plastic bags. It will drive a different economy than we know today. The image of Metro as being for upperclass only has to be dispelled else it will be doomed for failure. First build the capilary network then look at starting to include the people left out. If there are alternatives there is no attempt at inclusion and it fails. CRS is similar. Existing lines can be made to work if it had connectivity. Lottegollahalli is a non descript station near new BEL road where nobody get off now as its in the middle of nowhere. A shuttle service from here to Jalahalli along BEL circle and ramaiah college will make it a hub for students and public sector companies along the route. TO use your quote, Like Richard P Feynman said, reality is when you design with delivery of passengers in mind it will always work over public relations like boasting of a TTMC in every locality while having 2000 routes or showing norman foster stations but failing to have a feeder service planned.
silkboard's picture

transportation - Tiers of service

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Perhaps, it may not be worth the cost to upgrade South Western Railway's stations and train services (they could run DMU, EMU type services one can assume) to the levels of Metro (swanky stations, a/c coaches etc). The issues are - reach of the stations - these are not passing deep through established residential or commercial hubs (with some exceptions). You would expect users to get off and walk to a nearest bus stop (more interchange). Such a system (walking through crowds in old areas, no a/c coaches) can be aimed at low to mid tier of commuters, much like most of BMTC services, which, admit it, you and I don't like to use today (though I try my best to shed this bias and have been trying BMTC a lot). So picture SWR's CRS to be like current BMTC service, and Metro to be like BMTC's Volvo service. Each would be designed for the user base they target. Mumbai more or less works this way. For the cost they pay, and because of the reliability of service (45 mins to VT or churchgate from most popular suburbs), its target customers don't mind traveling like worms (not being cynical, but its a reality). The thing to analyze would be what areas do SWR's tracks pass through? Can you count commuters to Whitefield and E-City (both can be connected) as potential passengers for DMU, EMU type non A/c services? If you are thinking lazy IT engineers, probably not. Will some extensions (Chandapura to Jigani, Yeshwantpura to Peenya, Whitefield to Hoskote) increase access to low to mid end commuter base? I would say this is at least worth a study before we rule out CRS as an option.
Vasanth's picture

Commuter Rail - The targetted users

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Commuter rails are targetted towards suburban cities plus the localities on the vicinity of the track. For example, Channapatna, Ramanagaram and Bidadi. Lot many people do travel from these cities to Bangalore for work and most of the Mysore bound trains are occupied by them. Same is the case towards Tumkur and towards Bangarpet. Whitefield, Byappanahalli were all suburbs of Bangalore until the growth of Bangalore which merged them. Cost of a commuter rail in passenger's perspective is very low. A Bangalore-Mysore season ticket for one month costs only 360 rupees, whereas Channapatna is around 150 rupees. Most of the people in Channapatna have taken passes since 150 rupees is like the cost of 3 litres of Petrol. Compare this with BMTC whose ordinary bus pass itself is 420 rupees per month. Even if airconditioned coaches are attached to commuter rail, the monthly pass for Channapatna (around 60 kms) would be around 400-500 rupees. Starting this would offload population of Bangalore to suburbs. One problem with Bangalore is pathetic CBD. Majestic area which is the transport hub if it could have incorporated many hitech offices instead of the vast number of hotels and low cost malls, could have helped a lot. Problem with Hyderbad MMTS is that they are targetting only Hyderabad Secundarabad, just like Kengeri - Whitefield area which a Metro system is expected to cover. If it would have extended a little further and covered neighbouring suburbs, it would have seen more patronage. I would suggest the following routes for commuter rail: Tumkur - Bangalore : 1:30 minutes Channapatna - Bangalore : 1:30 minutes Hosur - Bangalore : 1: 30 minutes Chikkaballapur/Doddaballapur - Bangalore : 1:30 minutes Bangarpet / Kolar - Bangalore : 1:45 minutes. Like the Mumbai Locals, if the load increases, the existing 2 tracks should be converted to 4. 2 for locals and 2 for long distance. Basically, commuter rail is to connect the suburbs and Metro within the city. Vicinity areas of commuter rail track can be served. A Kengeri to Whitefield pass may cost just 100 rupees as against 800 rupees charged by BMTC for ITPL special buses. As discussed, connectivity to stations should improve, not necessarily with buses, in terms of pre-paid auto counters, multilevel parking lots.
Naveen's picture

Commuter Rail - for SubUrbanites

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Vasanth, I agree with your assessment about the need for CRS for suburbanites. You forgot to mention the Hosur route (Selam Line), which also transports a lot of people. As SB mentioned, I dont see this service being used much by the normal city dwellers, other than perhaps for an unusual out of routine visit or errand to a nearby town. SB, I dont think completely new routes would be possible like what you mentioned (Chandapur to Jigani, Yeshwantpur to Peenya, Whitefield to Hoskote, etc.) since land issues will come up & halt progress, similar to the airport expressway, as all these are now close to the city & estate prices have shot up. SWR's maps show that additional tracks are being added along the following routes : 1) City Station to Whitefield (2 additional tracks), 2) City Station to Ramnagaram (Mysore route), 3) Yeswantapur to Tumkur (Hubli Route). Also, a new single line is being built from Kengeri to Chamarajanagar, via Kanakapura. IDS, You are right about the need to try to widen the user base by trying as many innovations as possible, but these have to stay within the restrictions that we have. Vendors changing over to better packaging is not an objective - they are not permitted because terrorists can smuggle in bombs in the guise of vegetable containers & cause havoc (they have been doing such things routinely). To address this sort of threat, the only solution is to restrict such items from being loaded onto the Metro coaches, as is being done at Delhi. Small school children need supervision & security during their commutes & therefore go by school buses, which offer point to point services & take them right into their school campus. The Metro cannot do this, & therefore, the school buses will continue to operate, even after the Metro is functional. The older high school children will also try to use this bus since school buses have to run anyway, would probably be cheaper & more convenient than Metro because they get them right into their schools. So also school staff. Likewise, the poorer sections would not venture onto the Metro, simply because cost would be the deterrent. Even if they have to walk some distance to & from the bus stop each end, they would do it to pay a lesser fare. The Metro fares cannot compete with ordinary low-cost bus fares, for sure, including monthly passes ! Thus, we have to have buses too & cannot expect all sections to use the Metro for all commutes, though of course, it would be best to try to get as many to use it as is possible.

Frequency and Infrastructure issues

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I remember reading in an interview sometime back with the GM of SWR that unless there is going to be good frequencies for CRS, it would not be profitable. Second, for such a high level of frequency, infrastructure is required. CRS would then have to compete with inter-city and freight services for the same infrastructure. Hence, the GM said given such high infrastructure constraints, CRS might not be implementable. Bidari however suggested that stations such as Whitefield, Yeshwanthpur, Cantonment, Bellandur all be upgraded so that more inter-city transit via trains can take place from those stations instead of messing up with Bangalore City Junction. If Bidari's plans are follwed, limited and financially viable CRS can be implemented atleast from Majestic to Whitefield and Bellandur - targeting two maximum employment clusters.
silkboard's picture

station catchment design again

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I distinctly remember reading and hearing that Hyderabad MMTS didn't do as well as expected because it didn't integrate well with local bus services.

See, as will be the case with Metro, Commuter Rail has a probem of reach and catchment area. Size of a station's catchment area depends on the connectivity to the station.

  • Local shuttles that haul people from/to the stations.
  • Local Buses should either have good frequency or synchronized with train timings
  • It shouldn't take much effort to get down from train and walk into a waiting bus or shuttle

Lets say I commute to ITPL from Hebbal. Even if there is a train from Hebbal station to Whitefield, it won't be as exciting unless I can get from home to Hebbal station in 5-10 minutes, and then from Whitefield station to ITPL in 10m, and with not much hassle at both ends.

So, the only thing I would read into failures of other Commuter Rail Systems, and success of Mumbai system is this - integration with bus. If you leave it just to South Western Railway, it is bound to fail because they can't do much to extend the reach of their stations. Look at them, they can't get BMTC buses to come in to City station (because of Autorickshaw mafia or whatever) and one has to walk good 150 meters to get to the bus stand.

Refer to the post on PIL - a central transportation authority is what we need. Only then will we be able to capitalize and make the most of all existing transportation assets in the city. We have good enough roads, good enough rail tracks, and good enough last mile vehicles (read autos). We just need to integrate them better.

It all looks so simple to me, that I think with some serious support and backing, we can solve a lot of Bangalore's transportation woes in 2 years or so, even before Metro arrives. I am not kidding.

silkboard's picture

duplicated IDS'es point

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Sorry, I didn't realize that I merely repeated what idontspam has alraedy stated in a comment above.

rs's picture

Commuter rail would greatly

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Commuter rail would greatly solve a lot of problems. For example, my commute from Malleswaram to Yelahanka would become quite simple - and only a short 15 minute trip. A trip from Malleswaram to Kengeri would be another 15-20 minutes. People could go to the City station more easily from several points in the city. One could also use it to get to the airport instead of the ridiculous HSRL. However, it should also be integrated with the Metro to make it more effective. The problem with the Chennai rail system is (a) It has too limited a route and (b) it is very infrequent on some routes. So people dont use it much. Kolkata's metro is very popular - I dont see why the author of this thread considers a failure. Also, with the frequent protests marches in the city centre, its often the only way of getting around. Delhi Metro, from all accounts has completely revitalized several In any case, in my opinion we need EVERYTHING - commuter rail, metro, monorail and busses. The one thing we do not need is the HSRL but that is a subject of another thread.
rs's picture

Sorry - I realised I didnt

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Sorry - I realised I didnt finish my statement on Delhi - from all accounts the metro has completely revitalised several neighborhoods - Dwaraka for example - and made several other places accessible again. Of course one of the important factors is that the rail has to be integrated with the bus service - otherwise it will not be effective.
Vasanth's picture

Whitefield commute in existing trains

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Just was going through trainenquiry.com and browsing trains from Bangalore SBC to Bangalore Cantt to see the free slots for commuter trains. Unfortunately found trains every 20 minutes. Existing trains itself can be used to travel to whitefield from Majestic. Also, there is a Shuttle train between Bangarpet and SBC which runs to and fro.

One problem is there are plenty of UP trains in the morning towards Whitefield, but, no down trains in the evening from Whitefield to Bangalore. Existiing train timings which can be used.

STATION CODE CAHNGEDSTATION NAMEARRIVALDEPARTURE
SBCBANGALORE CY JNStarting Station11/1/2008 9:40
BNCBANGALORE CANT11/1/2008 9:4911/1/2008 9:51
BNCEBANGALORE EAST11/1/2008 9:5611/1/2008 9:57
BYPLBAIYYAPPANAHALI11/1/2008 10:0211/1/2008 10:04
KJMKRISHNARAJAPURM11/1/2008 10:0611/1/2008 10:08
WFDWHITEFIELD11/1/2008 10:2011/1/2008 10:22
    
    
    
    
SBC
    
    
SBC
    
    
SBC
    
 CHENNAI EXP  
SBC
    
 CHIKKABALLAPUR PASS  
SBCBANGALORE CY JNStarting Station11/1/2008 8:40
BNCBANGALORE CANT11/1/2008 8:4811/1/2008 8:50
BNCEBANGALORE EAST11/1/2008 8:5411/1/2008 8:56
BYPLBAIYYAPPANAHALI11/1/2008 9:0111/1/2008 9:03
CSDRCHANNASANDRA11/1/2008 9:1011/1/2008 9:12
YNKYELAHANKA JN.11/1/2008 9:2911/1/2008 9:30
TLSBETTAHALSOOR11/1/2008 9:3511/1/2008 9:37
DJLXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX11/1/2008 9:3911/1/2008 9:41
DHLXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX11/1/2008 9:5411/1/2008 9:56
AVTXXXXXXXXXXXXXX11/1/2008 9:5911/1/2008 10:01
VTEVENKATAGIRIKOTE HALT11/1/2008 10:0311/1/2008 10:05
NDYNANDI HALT11/1/2008 10:1011/1/2008 10:12
CBPCHIK BALLAPUR11/1/2008 10:50Destination Station
BANGALORE CY JNStarting Station11/1/2008 8:15
BNCBANGALORE CANT11/1/2008 8:2511/1/2008 8:27
KJMKRISHNARAJAPURM11/1/2008 8:3311/1/2008 8:35
WFDWHITEFIELD11/1/2008 8:4411/1/2008 8:45
BANGALORE CY JNStarting Station11/1/2008 7:00
BNCBANGALORE CANT11/1/2008 7:1011/1/2008 7:12
BNCEBANGALORE EAST11/1/2008 7:1711/1/2008 7:18
BYPLBAIYYAPPANAHALI11/1/2008 7:2411/1/2008 7:25
KJMKRISHNARAJAPURM11/1/2008 7:2911/1/2008 7:30
WFDWHITEFIELD11/1/2008 7:4411/1/2008 7:45
BANGALORE CY JNStarting Station11/1/2008 9:20
BNCBANGALORE CANT11/1/2008 9:3011/1/2008 9:32
BNCEBANGALORE EAST11/1/2008 9:3511/1/2008 9:37
BYPLBAIYYAPPANAHALI11/1/2008 9:4111/1/2008 9:43
KJMKRISHNARAJAPURM11/1/2008 9:4611/1/2008 9:48
WFDWHITEFIELD11/1/2008 10:0111/1/2008 10:03
BANGALORE CY JNStarting Station11/1/2008 9:20
BNCBANGALORE CANT11/1/2008 9:3011/1/2008 9:32
BNCEBANGALORE EAST11/1/2008 9:3511/1/2008 9:37
BYPLBAIYYAPPANAHALI11/1/2008 9:4111/1/2008 9:43
KJMKRISHNARAJAPURM11/1/2008 9:4611/1/2008 9:48
WFDWHITEFIELD11/1/2008 10:0111/1/2008 10:03
.
Naveen's picture

RS - This was about Commuter Rail

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RS,

The discussion above was about Commuter rail for Bangalore. Poor record/s with suburban railway systems in many cities was mentioned to highlight financial risks. Metro was also mentioned since it is relevant.

The Kolkata Metro is popular for many, no doubt, but it still does not have the anticipated ridership levels after so many years in service. This is one of the reasons why the second line (Datnagar to Rajarhat - passing under the Hoogly river) has been put on hold.

Similarly, while Delhi Metro may be a boon to residents in Dwarka, it is still not seeing the projected ridership levels.

Naveen's picture

Whitefield Commuter Rail Station

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Vasanth,

The station for Whitefield along existing CRS tracks is inconvenient for many, though it may be useful for some. The distance from ITPL, Hoody & the commercial hubs near Brookefield is a disadvantage.

idontspam's picture

Whitefield CRS

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Naveen, It is inconvinient NOW as it exists. It will not be inconvinient if it had the required connectivity. So it may look like a waste NOW. It will not be a waste if properly connected. The case with all metros are similar. The transport infrastructure is not planned around them. There are parallel options which not only take away traffic but retain the problem metro was intended to solve. I cant believe metros which can comfortable carry 10lakh passengers doesnt have ridership in our cities of 60 to 80 lakhs population
idontspam's picture

Rail bandwidth for CRS

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Good stats Vasanth. CRS i think can still squeeze in I dont think it is an issue. I dont know the SWR growth projections though. I am sure the yeswantpur side will be similarly loaded. I dont think the yelahanka route and the sarjapur route are loaded at all. I dont believe the interstate trains can be used bcause their unreserved will always be overflowing like BMTC. Looks like the CRS traffic will need to compete with SWR interstate traffic. One point that SWR is making is they dont want to be managing the CRS traffic. SO if a different agency got in, would they be able to coordinate with SWR on the same tracks? That would be infeasible. So what would be a way out? I would think putting up tracks adjacent to existing railway land would help. Over the current tracks will become as expensive as metro. If it were laid on standard guage and the stations were reused we could share the metro's rolling stock. Also as a benefit, not only can the CRS authority pay a rent (percentage or fixed) for using the SWR railspace, it can also do up the CRS stations to metro standards. Bottomline is there enough bandwidth for SWR to help out immediately? Somebody (I think Naveen) heard a no from SWR. Is this the end of CRS story? What is the BMLTA version? They certainly show the CRS stations on their map. Is there a roadmap though?
Naveen's picture

CRS - As it is Now

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IDS - Noted.

I was referring to train timings posted by Vasnth. As of now, it is inconvenient for many, as I said. However, once Metro provides inter-connectivity with CRS, & frequent, convenient bus options are in place to ferry people from Whitefiled CRS station to the activity centers mentioned, it might change things for the better, no doubt.

For this to be accomplished, BMTC, SWR & BMRC must work together. That was my point - trust this is clearer now.

Naveen's picture

CRS - Certainly not Out

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IDS,

I dont think CRS is out, but it is not in either, the way it is today. The city could benefit a lot if it is planned, operated & managed in an efficient manner, with close co-operation with other transport modes. What I have been trying to emphasize is that if CRS is taken up & operated in the traditional, vintage 'Indian Railways' style, then it is bound to bleed the exchequer, as it has been doing in other cities.

Track additions are already underway by SWR, as enumerated above. I dont think it will be practical for Metro to run along CRS tracks, even if modification of tracks to suit the gauge is possible since except for a few nodes, most of the track routes pass along unimportant areas, even within the city. The lines that could be considered for what you say are :

1) Deepanjalinagar to City station.

2) City Stn to Byappanahalli (via Cant Raliway Stn).

3) City Stn to Yeshwantpur.

4) Yeswantapur to Byappanahalli (via Hebbal).

Most of these will be connected by Metro Ph-1 itself, passing through many of the important activity centers. As such, it may not be worthwhile to explore this option.

As Vasanth has rightly assessed, the CRS service is more suitable for out-of-towners, who will arrive & disembark at some convenient station & transfer to either the Metro or a bus, provided such options are made available.

idontspam's picture

Unimportant?

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Naveen, Unimportant is debatable. If it is classified on usage then you are probably making the distinction on the current usage pattern(which again goes back to what i said earlier). Because if they are passing thru the city i cant believe they can be underused if connected properly. It depends on how you define a place as being unimportant. On the routes, a good place to start might be 1 & 4. 2 and 3 are covered by metro. I can personally vouch for the effectiveness of route 4. It not only connects end points of metro with a zillion thickly populated layouts in between but also with the HSRL/BIA express at hebbal. It also avoids any BRTS on ring road as it goes almost parellel to ring road in a lot of places. It is not that busy a route so immediately can start something there.
Naveen's picture

CRS - Does not pass thro' Nodes

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IDS,

CRS tracks generally do not pass thro' important /convenient nodes within the city that attract intra-city commuters in large nos - I do not know much about route-4, though. Current usage patterns are not the only indication. Some intra-city commutes may be taking place, but the nos are likely to be small - most commutes are probably as vasanth had summarized - people arriving from outside the city.

Compared to CRS tracks, the Metro alignment/s have been planned well & tries to connect as many important nodes as possible to make it convenient for intra-city commuters - this improves ridership greatly. The CRS track alignments were laid a long time ago to primarily serve inter-city train travel needs.

For example, the CRS from Deepanjalinagar towards City Rly Stn passes through Bapujinagar, Guddadahalli & Binnypet, all poorly connected by road & not having any important nodes that people might regularly visit. The Metro connecting the same points is aligned to pass through Vijayanagar, Hosahalli, Toll Gate & Magadi Rd - all points that attract very large no. of daily commuters with many offices, commercial establishments & residences.

Routes 1 & 4 will also be connected by Metro via Majestic interchange.

Vasanth's picture

Timings got staggered - Sorry for that

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Sorry for the staggered timings posted. I copied and pasted timings and didn't see after posting. I just got few thoughts in mind. WFD commute in 30 minutes and KR Puram in 20 minutes in Express train is very tempting to use even though standing.
SB_YPR's picture

Whitefield station and other thoughts on CRS

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Hi all,
A couple of points:
The existing station at Whitefield is very well connected by BMTC. It is just about 100 m from the Kadugodi bus terminus and there is a bus leaving almost every 10 minutes to ITPL, Varthur etc.
The CRS from Yesvantpur to Whitefield via hebbal would be a great idea. It would greatly benefit commuters between the north and the east. The line is essentially a peripheral line, but there would also be interchanges with the Metro at Baiyyappanahalli and Yesvantpur.
However, there is one major constraint : The line between Yesvantpur and Baiyyappanahalli is a single line. To enable CRS, this MUST be doubled and automatic signalling provided (automatic signalling enables more trains to be run at shorter intervals). If this is carried out, I feel that running of EMU's on this route will be a hit.
I have provided a list of stations and conectivity issues (if any) below:
Station (KM) (Connectivity issues)
Yesvantpur (0) (No issues, well-connected)
Lottegollahalli (2) (needs to be connected to the ORR at BEL Circle - about 200 m road is needed; also to new BEL Road)
Hebbal (8) (reasonably connected, station is being upgraded, bus stops nearby; perhaps a couple of subways would be in order)
Banaswadi (14) (Horrendous connectivity, located in the middle of a congested neighbouhood - little scope for improvement)
Baiyyappanahalli (17) (Connectivity OK at present, Metro will improve it)
Krishnarajapuram (19) (No issues, well-connected)
Whitefield (29) (No issues, well-connected)
Perhaps, in order to reduce congestion, SWR should expand Yesvantpur, Baiyyappanahalli and Whitefield stations and yards.
Regards,
~~~~
Manish, Nagarbhavi.

~~~~

Manish.

Vasanth's picture

Problem is with Byappanahalli - Whitefield route

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268 users have liked.

Manish, the route between Byappanahalli - KR Puram - Whitefield is a busy route although double track and electrified. This is one bottleneck.

Yeshwantpur - Byappanahalli is possible and even SBC - Malleshwaram - Yeshwantpur - Byappanahalli is also possible since the Tumkur route is not as busy as the Chennai route. Again Byappanahalli station is busy station. DMU has to be used since line is not electrified.

State Government with Railways involvement can search options for converting BYPL - Whitefield to 4 tracks / 3 tracks to achieve this.

pravn1984's picture

So, it is going to finally happen?

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279 users have liked.

As per this article by 2011, -> http://www.bangaloremirror.com/index.aspx?page=article&sectid=10&contentid=20091110200911100013358283b599b85&sectxslt=

Railways are apparently waiting for electrification of tracks and board approval.Hope both will proceed quickly. There are also 3 routes being suggested.

PROPOSED ROUTES
ROUTE I
Kengeri
Nayandahalli
Bangalore City
Malleshwaram
Yeshwanthpur
Lottegollahalli
Yelahanka
Thanisandra
Channasandra
Krishnarajpura
Byappanahalli
Bangalore East
Bangalore 
Cantonment
Bangalore City
Kengeri

ROUTE II
Kengeri
Nayandahalli
Bangalore City
Malleshwaram
Yeshwanthpur
Hebbal
Banaswadi
Byappanahalli
Bangalore East
Bangalore
 Cantonment
Bangalore City
Kengeri

ROUTE III
Yelahanka
Lottegollahalli
Yeshwanthpur
Hebbal
Banaswadi
Krishnarajapura
Kadugodi (Whitefield)

I think the whitefield route can be extended upto marathalli/bellandur.

kamalakar pandit's picture

Namma railu is also required..

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248 users have liked.

If you look at the unplanned growth in Bangalore, we need all modes of transportation. Metro/mono and HSRL will take care of the middle/upper middle and above class of people. for other section of society we really need commuter rail facilitiy , which connects various parts of Bangalore.. from North - south and fom east to west

1. Chikballapur  to Electronic city (or beyond) via Hebbal / yeshwantpur /SBC / KR Puram

2.Ramnagar to Bangarpet via SBC/ Cant

3. Nelamangala to Anekal via Bannerghatta

If these routes are covered I feel most part of the Bangalore is covered.

 

 

Vijay Srinivas's picture

yelahanka baiyappanahalli rail doubling affected.

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Yelahanka Channasandra line had been completely doubled, and it seemed that it would openafter, say 6 months or so (after testing). But  however, a tunnel construction near yelahanka has damaged the railway lines. The new line is now dangling, and trains crawl at the other line. Wud take atleast 6 months to repair.

Perhaps this is the shortest route from yel to chanasandra. Hope the service is restored soon.

Sanjeev's picture

Thanks for the inputs

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214 users have liked.

Also Lottegolhallai - Yelahanak too is progressing for completion except GKVK bridge is now half the way for road widening.

Also ORR at MES road,  flyover is nearing completion.  This should helpSWR to speed up more train between Yesavntpur - Chikabanavar and Lottegolhalli - Chikbanavara of  Yesvantpur bypass.

Also Electrification upto Chikbanavar and Yelahanka - Guntakal line, shifting of Tumkur godshed yard to Kayatasandra, Expansion of Bangalore city station with 3.5 acers of  Binny  Mill  land,  more pit lines at Yesvantpur and Baiyyappanahallai, Expansion of Yelahanka station,  many more railway  level crossings thru ROB / RUB. 

Also doubling and Electrification of Bangalore - Mysore line, Nelamanagala - Solur of Hassan nearing completion. 

MEMU maintenance shed at Banaswadi to start.

With entry to Karnataka Capital from  out side is tolled thru Toll Highway,  Suburban Rail / Commuter Rail will give big relief for citizens who wants to use public Transport.

Now will Railways or  GOK  has any more execuses for not doing this Suburban Rail for Bangalore.

 

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