The government has set December 2027 as the target to complete work on all four corridors of the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP), said Industries Minister M.B. Patil on Friday.
The Minister was speaking to reporters at the signing of the MoU between the Karnataka government and the KfW Development Bank of Germany for funding the BSRP.
The December 2027 timeline contradicts Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s initial 40-month deadline for the suburban project of December 2025. During the project’s foundation stone laying ceremony in June 2022, Mr. Modi had said, “What has not happened in the past 40 years will be completed in the next 40 months.”
The nodal agency for implementing the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project, K-RIDE, and Luxemburg-based KFW Development Bank inked an MoU on Friday for accommodating funds of ₹4,561 crore (€500 million) for BSRP. N. Manjula, Managing Director, K-RIDE, and Wolf Muth, Country Director, KFW Development Bank, signed and exchanged the documents in the presence of Mr. Patil. As per the agreement, KFW would provide ₹4,561 Crore at 4% interest for 20 years.
“This is the supplementary agreement between Germany’s KfW and KRIDE (Rail Infrastructure Development Company-Karnataka) followed by the primary agreement between the Department of Economic Affairs, Government of India, and KfW for the disbursal of ₹4,561 crore, which took place on December 15, 2023. This loan of ₹4561 crore is aimed at addressing critical infrastructure needs for the works of Corridor-3 (Kengeri to Whitefield) Station & Viaduct, Corridor-4 (Heelalige to Rajanukunte) Station work, Depot-1 (Devanahalli), S&T Signal & Telecom), PSD Platform Screen Door), AFC (Automatic Fare Collection), Solar Panel and Security Equipment, MMI (Man Machine Interface),” Mr. Patil explained.
BSRP, sanctioned through the Ministry of Railways for a project cost of ₹15,767 crore, aims to develop a suburban railway network of 148 Km with 58 stations along 4 corridors. The project is funded through the equity contribution of the Karnataka government, the Ministry of Railways and external borrowing in the ratio of 20:20:60.
