Hi Friends,
I have been reading a lot of reports about the demand for commuter rail to Nelamangala. While this is a very valid demand by the people of Bangalore, I feel that extending the suburban service to Kunigal, after the completion of the railway line from Bangalore end, is very desirable as it houses a sizable chunk of population and close to important places in BMRDA jurisdiction like Nelamangala and Magadi. Also, it is at a distance of about 70 Kms, the same as Tumkur. Hence in future, people can look forward to residing in places like Magadi, Kunigal or Tumkur and commute to Bangalore city center for work.I believe that Nelamangala is already a crowded region considering the number of BMTC buses that ply between the town and Majestic / K.R Market.
Recently, The Hindu newspaper mentioned that the railway line is nearly complete from Chikbanavar to Solur. Hence for the time being the commuter rail, if introduced, must run upto Solur and not stop at Nelamangala.
One railway line, which I feel is required for suburban services is the Bidadi - Magadi - Kunigal railway line. This line when operational, would bring rail connectivity to Magadi, besides making Kunigal a junction on Bangalore - Mangalore trunk line, which would be beneficial for the industrial clusters in Solur. Also, with plans for Bidadi - Anekal railway line being made, the Bidadi - Kunigal link would provide direct connectivity to Electronics city.
Another line that could be considered for future, is the Kunigal - Turuvekere - Tumkur railway line, which again would boost the suburban services, for requirements in future. If these two lines are implemented, we would have 2 important junctions in Bangalore region at Kunigal and Bidadi. Tumkur which is already on its way to becoming an important junction, would also have higher rail density, considering its status as an important satellite town or even an extension of Bangalore.
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drawing these lines on the map
Knowing how long it takes to lay or upgrade new railway lines in South Karnataka :( these are big wishes. But regardless, the point is well taken. The western side of city seems to have no satellite town connectivity plan. Yes, I am not counting NICE Peripheral road which is the only major transportation project on that side.
Magadi to city connection is perhaps likely through a fork off of Mysore like at Kengeri like place. Connecting any other place in the city closer to the central area is certainly not going to be possible today. Bidadi Kunigal connection - not sure how possible this would be, that area marked in red dots I think is a very rocky/hilly terrain. But anyway, if such connections were to be done, a nice rail ring around city would come up, connecting not only the satellite regions to the city, but satellite towns with each other as well.
Bidadi Kunigal connection - not sure how possible this would be
Hi Silkboard,
Thanks for your feedback. The area is indeed hilly as it can be seen in places beyond Chandrappa Circle, such as Manchanabele, Dabbaguli etc. In order to reach these places one has to either take a left, at Chandrappa Circle, as far as I know. Instead, if only one were to take a right turn at the same junction and continues further, one would end up at Magadi road which again is rocky but not as much as the ones near Manchanabele as these villages are located very close to forests at the foot hills of Savandurga. Ecologically, this route I believe, is not as sensitive and moreover, if I am not mistaken, the BDA has planned to align the peripheral ring road along these villages. Hence either taking the railway line parallel or perpendicular or diagonal to the road could provide rail connectivity to Magadi, from where Kunigal is reachable.
Tejaswi
commuter rail
Dear Friends
I work in Dobaspet. Daily commute from Vidhyaranyapura. Instead of converting the existing rail net work to Kunigal and Tumkur, the metro can be extended upto these places. The road divider in these route, that is from Widia to Kunigal and Widia to Tumkur, is big enough to build the pillars needed for the metro railway line. There is no process of acquiring the land for developing these line throughout. These lines can be made to terminate in the respective railway station.
Venkataraman