Good News for Bengaluru: Rs 18600 crore for 148km long Suburban Transport Project

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Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman on Saturday announced the proposal of 148 Km long Bengaluru Suburban Transport Project at a cost of Rs 18600 Crore while presenting the Union Budget. The Finance Minister while highlighting Prime Minister’s Statement in the Independence Day Speech 2019, said that Rs. 100 lakh crore would be invested on infrastructure over the next 5 years, informed that National Infrastructure Pipeline in December. 

Sitharaman said that the scheme consists of more than 6500 projects across sectors and are classified as per their size and stage of development. The Union Budget proposed to set up a project preparation facility for infrastructure projects. This programme would actively involve young engineers, management graduates and economists from our Universities. The Budget also proposed to direct all infrastructure agencies of the government to involve youth-power in start-ups.

While presenting the budget, Sitharaman emphasised on following measures for improving road infrastructure:

1. Accelerated development of highways will be undertaken. 
2. Development of 2500 Km access control highways, 9000 Km of economic corridors, 2000 Km of coastal and land port roads and 2000 Km of strategic highways.
3. Delhi-Mumbai Expressway and two other packages to be completed by 2023. 
4. Chennai-Bengaluru Expressway also be started. It is proposed to monetise at least 12 lots of highway bundles of over 6000 Km before 2024.

Enlisting the achievements of Railways within 100 days of assumption of the current government, the Finance minister proposed the following five measures for optimisation of costs to improve railways infrastructure:

1. Setting up a large solar power capacity alongside the rail tracks, on the land owned by the railways
2. Four station re-development projects and operation of 150 passenger trains would be done through PPP mode.
3. More Tejas type trains will connect iconic tourist destinations.
4. High-speed train between Mumbai to Ahmedabad would be actively pursued.
5. 148 km long Bengaluru Suburban transport project at a cost of Rs 18600 crore, would have fares on metro model. Central Government would provide 20% of equity and facilitate external assistance up to 60% of the project cost.

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