₹850 crore for suburban rail project

The Karnataka budget, which was announced on Monday, has provided much-needed push to Bengaluru’s suburban rail project with an allocation of ₹850 crore for the next financial year. Rail activists have hailed the move, saying that it has given a fillip to the long-delayed mass transit project. Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited, a joint venture of the State and Central governments, is building a 148-km rail network with four corridors and proposes to construct 57 stations. In the first phase, K-RIDE will focus on the Baiyappanahalli to Chikkabanavara, and Heelalige to Rajankunte corridors.