'Yelahanka-airport railway line will soon be doubled'

NT Correspondent Bengaluru: Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Saturday said the railway line from Bengaluru Airport to Yelahanka will soon be doubled to increase the traffic capacity. He also said that he will work with Bengaluru Airport authorities to bring the railway station closer to the arrival and departure spots. The minister, who was here to review the progress of redevelopment work of Bengaluru Cantonment railway station, said the railways will soon begin large-scale production of Amrit Bharat trains version 2.0 with improvements.

"We have decided that we will work with the Bengaluru Airport Authority and try to take the station all the way as close to the departure and arrival (of the airport) as possible. We will start the discussions," Vaishnaw, who conducted window trailing inspection between Kempegowda International Airport Railway Station (halt) - Bengaluru Cantonment told reporters here after a meeting with the railway officials. "We will do the doubling of the railway line from Airport to Yelahanka so that a lot of (traffic) capacity will be created and then we have metro coming up very fast," he added.

Regarding the Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP), Vaishnaw said that both the corridors are coming up very fast. With the BSRP and Metro Rail, commuters will have different options, which will significantly increase the traffic capacity in Bengaluru, he said. Regarding the recently launched NaMo Bharat Rapid Rail by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Vaishnaw said the railways is mulling to introduce these trains for short distances, such as Bengaluru to Mysuru and Bengaluru to Tumakuru. "These trains are for cities which are close to each other, like Bengaluru and Mysuru. The distance between Bengaluru and Mysuru is 135 km -- an ideal distance for rapid rail, so that we can then run at a very good frequency. Bengaluru, Mysuru and Tumakuru are ideal for a Namo Bharat Rapid rail."