Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project to be completed by December 2026

11 Sep 2024 CW Team

K-Ride, which is overseeing the project, assured the ministers that land acquisition issues will be resolved within three months. Both ministers emphasised that there would be no further delays in the completion of these two corridors, which are part of the four projects inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Somanna also mentioned that discussions regarding the implementation of the remaining two corridors will take place once these are completed.

Somanna, Minister of State for Railways, agreed to intervene in the K-Ride project, which has faced delays due to the lack of tenders for railway coach production and supply under a public-private partnership. He committed to organising a meeting in Delhi with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to resolve the issue.

Officials stated that railway carriages need to be supplied at least six months before the completion deadline to ensure timely operation of the corridors. Minister Patil also requested an extension of the suburban rail network to nearby cities and towns. The feasibility of extending Corridor-1 directly from Devanahalli to Kolar, bypassing Chikkaballapura, was also discussed.

The meeting further considered integrating the suburban rail network with the proposed 281 km peripheral railway project, which is set to be implemented at a cost of Rs 210 billion. Senior officials, including South Western Railway General Manager Aravinda Srivastava, Namma Metro Managing Director Maheshwar Rao, and BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath, attended the meeting.

Earlier in the day, Somanna visited the Rail Wheel Factory in Yelahanka to review its operations and upcoming projects. (ET)

Union Minister V Somanna announced that the Chikkabanavara-Baiyyappanahalli (Corridor-2, 25 km) and Heilalagi-Rajanukunte (Corridor-4, 46.88 km) sections of the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project will be completed by December 2026. The announcement was made during a joint press conference with Karnataka's Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil, following a progress review meeting of the Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Ltd (K-Ride) at the Vidhana Soudha. K-Ride, which is overseeing the project, assured the ministers that land acquisition issues will be resolved within three months. Both ministers emphasised that there would be no further delays in the completion of these two corridors, which are part of the four projects inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Somanna also mentioned that discussions regarding the implementation of the remaining two corridors will take place once these are completed. Somanna, Minister of State for Railways, agreed to intervene in the K-Ride project, which has faced delays due to the lack of tenders for railway coach production and supply under a public-private partnership. He committed to organising a meeting in Delhi with Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw to resolve the issue. Officials stated that railway carriages need to be supplied at least six months before the completion deadline to ensure timely operation of the corridors. Minister Patil also requested an extension of the suburban rail network to nearby cities and towns. The feasibility of extending Corridor-1 directly from Devanahalli to Kolar, bypassing Chikkaballapura, was also discussed. The meeting further considered integrating the suburban rail network with the proposed 281 km peripheral railway project, which is set to be implemented at a cost of Rs 210 billion. Senior officials, including South Western Railway General Manager Aravinda Srivastava, Namma Metro Managing Director Maheshwar Rao, and BBMP Chief Commissioner Tushar Girinath, attended the meeting. Earlier in the day, Somanna visited the Rail Wheel Factory in Yelahanka to review its operations and upcoming projects. (ET)

Infrastructure Transport

13 Oct 2025

Tata, Airbus to Build India’s First Private Helicopter Line

In a landmark development for India’s aerospace sector, Tata Advanced Systems Limited (TASL) and Airbus will establish the country’s first private-sector helicopter assembly line in Vemagal, Karnataka. The facility will manufacture the Airbus H125 and H125M, marking a significant milestone in India’s push for self-reliance in aviation and defence manufacturing. The new Final Assembly Line (FAL) will produce the H125, the world’s best-selling single-engine helicopter, known for its versatility and performance in extreme environments. The first ‘Made in India’ H125 is expected to ro..

Infrastructure Urban

13 Oct 2025

NeGD to Support Bharat Taxi in Building Cooperative Ride Platform

In a significant move for India’s digital and mobility transformation, the National e-Governance Division (NeGD) of the Digital India Corporation, under the Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), has entered into an advisory partnership with Sahakar Taxi Cooperative Limited, the company behind Bharat Taxi — a first-of-its-kind, cooperative-led national ride-hailing platform. A Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) has been signed between NeGD and Sahakar Taxi to provide strategic advisory and technical support covering key areas such as platform integration, cybersecurity..

Technology

13 Oct 2025

MeitY Hosts Pre-Summit for India–AI Impact Summit 2026

The Ministry of Electronics and Information Technology (MeitY), Government of India, hosted a series of Pre-Summit events for the upcoming India–AI Impact Summit 2026 at the India Mobile Congress (IMC) 2025 in New Delhi. These sessions mark a key milestone ahead of the main summit, scheduled for 19–20 February 2026 at Bharat Mandapam, New Delhi. Delivering the inaugural address, S. Krishnan, Secretary, MeitY, highlighted India’s innovative and frugal approach to AI development. “We have adopted innovative means by learning from others’ experiences to build projects and products that..