RITES to compete with HSRL for BIA link?

Bangalore: Even as the proposal for a High Speed Rail Link (HSRL) project to the Bengaluru International Airport (BIA) has received the state cabinet approval, work on the proposal of an alternative link to the airport is also on.
Rail India Technical and Economic Services (RITES) plans to start a fresh pre-feasibility study for a metro link to the BIA next week, a senior official at RITES told the Express on Thursday. “We (RITES) had received the government order to start the study over a month ago,” he added.
RITES had done a pre-feasibility study for the same link in 2003. With a growth in air and road traffic and changes in other parameters, a fresh study is needed, the RITES official explained.
The state cabinet, during its recent meeting in Belgaum, had approved the HSRL proposal at a revised cost of Rs 4,332 crore as against the original cost of Rs 3,800 crore estimated in the detailed project report prepared by the Delhi Metro Rail Corporation Limited (DMRC). DMRC is the consultant for the project.
The two proposals - HSRL from BRV Parade Grounds and a metro link from Byappanahalli to the BIAIA - have always been considered as alternatives to each-other to provide fast access to the airport, 34 km from the central business district.
A strong critic of the HSRL project and advisor to government of Karnataka on traffic, transportation and infrastructure, Prof M N Sreehari, said, “Once the HSRL comes up, there is no point in constructing a metro link to BIA. It will be a duplication."
06/02/09 ExpressBuzz

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Categories: Airports Feb 2009