The 10-member K-RIDE board, chaired by Chief Secretary Shalini Rajneesh, has decided to invite fresh tenders for the completion of civil work on two stalled corridors of the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP), Corridor 2 (Benniganahalli-Chikkabanavara, 25.01 km), and Corridor 4 (Heelalige-Rajanukunte, 46.88 km).

This decision follows the termination of contracts with L&T, the initial contractor for both corridors, due to disputes over delays and incomplete work. L&T had claimed Rs 505 million in damages and initiated arbitration proceedings in August after only 49.44 per cent of the work front was made available, with many sections deemed 'unworkable.'

The Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project, which aims to complement Namma Metro, had originally been slated for completion within 40 months, as per a June 2020 deadline set by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. However, due to coordination issues between Karnataka and the Indian Railways, progress has been slow, with physical work at just 18.5 per cent completion as of March.

The fresh tenders for Corridor 2 will be issued in three packages (Chikkabanavara-Yeshwantpur, Yeshwantpur-Hebbal, and Hebbal-Benniganahalli) in the coming days, with the work order expected by December. Tenders for Corridor 4 will be invited in November, with contracts likely awarded by early next year.