Bengaluru’s urban railway upgrade to connect key tech corridors on slow track

The ambitious plan to expand capacity by doubling railway tracks along Bengaluru’s tech corridors is running behind schedule, with costs escalating. Civic groups and activists have voiced their ire, demanding an urgent upgrade of the city's transport infrastructure.

South Western Railway is executing the quadrupling of tracks between Byappanahalli and Whitefield and K-RIDE, a joint venture between the Karnataka government and the Centre is implementing Byappanahalli-Hosur and Yeswantpur-Channasandra track doubling projects.

Once completed, these projects will enable SWR to operate more train services and reduce travel time. However, all three have missed multiple deadlines..

Records accessed by Moneycontrol show that track doubling on Yeswantpur-Channasandra stretch (21.7 km) was sanctioned in 2018-19 with March 2024 deadline, which has been revised to June 2026. The project cost too has escalated from Rs 169.65 crore to Rs 683.57 crore, and while the work began in January 2021, only around 55 percent has so far been completed.

Also Read: Bengaluru’s tech corridor to get more trains by December 2024 as tracks are doubled

Similarly, doubling of tracks on Byappanahalli-Hosur strecth, sanctioned in 2018-19, was initially targetted for completion by December 2023, but deadline has now been pushed to January 2026 with cost have escalated from Rs 498.7 crore to Rs 1,148 crore. This corridor is expected to benefit those commuting along Outer Ring Road, Sarjapur Road, and Hosur Road. So far, only Carmelaram-Heelalige section of this corridor has been commissioned on February 20, 2023, and while about 85 percent of work is complete, the revised deadline has been set as June 2026.

K-RIDE officials told Moneycontrol that Bellandur Road-Carmelaram, Anekal-Maranayakanahalli, and Maranayakanahalli-Hosur sections will be commissioned by September 2025, while Byappanahalli–Bellandur and Heelalige-Anekal Road stretches will be ready by January 2026.

Railway activist Pruthvin Reddy has blamed the railways and the Centre-State JV for the delay. "These two doubling projects could have eased congestion on the Outer Ring Road and at Hebbal by enabling additional train services, but neither railways, K-RIDE, nor elected representatives have shown interest. It is unfortunate that the work remains incomplete even seven years after being sanctioned. Every year, the deadline is simply pushed back by another year,” he said.

Also Read: Bengaluru Cantt-Whitefield quadrupling by Dec 2025, Byappanahalli Metro FOB to be razed

Separately, Bengaluru-Cantonment track quadrupling (38 km) project, sanctioned in 2018-19 with an initial deadline of 2022 has been revised to February 2026. The project cost was pegged at Rs 492.8 crore, however, the revised costs not available. Executed by the Gati Shakti unit of Bengaluru division (SWR), only about 80 percent of the work is complete. SWR officials said Byappanahalli-Whitefield section will be commissioned by December 2025 and Cantonment–Byappanahalli stretch by February 2026.

Covering six key stations - Bengaluru Cantonment, Bengaluru East, Baiyyappanahalli, Krishnarajapuram, Hoodi, and Whitefield - 25-km stretch is expected to benefit about 62,000 daily commuters. Presently, KSR Bengaluru City-Whitefield line is congested, with capacity utilisation exceeding 100 percent. Out of 146 trains from KSR Bengaluru City and 94 from Yeswantpur, 122 are suburban services, most of which run through this section. The track quadrupling project, first sanctioned in 1997-98, was delayed for years due to land acquisition and cost-related issues.

Rajkumar Dugar, founder and convenor of civic group Citizens for Citizens (C4C), which campaigns for better suburban rail services said, "K-RIDE, which is executing Bengaluru suburban rail project, is also responsible for both track-doubling works, with no other stakeholders apart from railways. Yet, projects remain on a slow track. In fact, there is hardly any progress on the Yeswantpur-Channasandra corridor. Bengaluru, a tech capital struggling with severe traffic congestion, urgently needs these doubling and quadrupling projects to be fast-tracked. But given the slow pace of work, we can no longer trust the deadlines. Costs have escalated, and the delays are taking a toll on the people of Bengaluru."

Bengaluru-Whitefield section is one of the busiest corridors in the city, and the track quadrupling work needs to be completed without further delays, he added.

Also Read: Bengaluru suburban rail project near standstill amid Karnataka–Centre tussle

Officials said doubling and quadrupling of tracks will enable SWR to operate additional trains, particularly MEMU (Mainline Electric Multiple Unit) services during peak hours. MEMUs serve short and medium-distance routes connecting urban and suburban areas. This will benefit techies, especially since Bengaluru Metro’s Blue Line (Central Silk Board-KR Pura-Hebbal-Kempegowda International Airport) is expected only by 2026-27. The 148-km Bengaluru suburban rail project is also facing delays.