Bangalore airport rail link plan orphaned

Bangalore: The proposed high-speed rail link from the city to the Bengaluru International Airport has no takers. While the Airports Authority of India (AAI) and Union government refused to have any stake in the project, the Railways has completely washed its hands of the connectivity plan.
After saying 'no' to extending the existing Kolar line on National Highway 7 up to Devanahalli airport to ferry passengers, the Railways distanced itself from the proposed implementation of high-speed rail connecting BRV Grounds on M G Road to the airport.
"Our infrastructure is not capable of providing tracks for high-speed rail proposed at a cost of Rs 3,716 crore. Urban rail connectivity or high-speed rail requires a dedicated track, either surface or elevated, to run trains at regular intervals. Providing intra-city connectivity is not our concern and as per the government of India policy, providing urban connectivity comes under the purview of the urban development ministry," South Western Railway general manager Praveen Kumar said on Saturday.
Existing tracks have been designed to provide inter-city connectivity for passengers and freight which cannot be utilized for high-speed rail, he said.
09/03/08 Times of India

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Categories: Airports Mar 2008, New Mar 2008