Suburban Rail: Bangalore MP PC Mohan meets Piyush Goyal, citizens flood Twitter with demands

Today I met Railway Minister Shri @PiyushGoyal & took up the issue of delay in #Bengaluru #SubUrbanRail proj. Requested him to fast-track approvals so that work on proj can start this year

Minister assured his commitment & help for speedy completion of the project. pic.twitter.com/iJ1PokrkaN

— P C Mohan (@PCMohanMP) June 7, 2019

The tweet went viral after several individuals and citizen groups began voicing their demands for the implementation of the same project started flooding PC Mohan’s Twitter. However, these overshadowed appreciations and congratulatory messages for the effort taken towards making the project the reality.

Union Railways Minister Piyush Goyal receives letter from Bangalore Central MP P.C. Mohan. Express Photo

“Can you talso ake up the modernization of Whitefield rly station also. The station leaves lot to be desired – entrance from one side only, Non availability of wash rooms in late evening hours etc.,” a user tweeted.

Thank you @PCMohanMP . Can you talso ake up the modernization of Whitefield rly station also. The station leaves lot to be desired – entrance from one side only, Non availability of wash rooms in late evening hours etc.

— NAMO’s Soldier (@c_rajaykr) June 7, 2019

At the same time, an user suggested that escalators and lifts to suburban trains from metro stations would be of great help. “Many thanks sir.. 2 improvements are helpful: 1. A display board at Byappanahalli indicating the expected arrival and departure of trains. It will be great if such a board is placed inside the metro station also 2. Escalators or lift from metro to Subarban train,” another suggestion reads.

Many thanks sir.. 2 improvements are helpful: 1. A display board at Byappanahalli indicating the expected arrival and departure of trains. It will be great if such a board is placed inside the metro station also 2. Escalators or lift from metro to Subarban train

— Sugnyan Bettadapura (@sugnyan) June 7, 2019

The demand for more trains or an increase in the frequency of trains plying between Byappanahalli and Whitefield was also pointed out by many. “Sir ask for more trains in peak time n frequent no of trains from byappanahalli to Whitefield n further at 8-11am n 4-8 pm as metro is connected from city to byappanahalli so no of ppl can benefit from dis n ask to elevate d crossing so traffic problem s won’t Der,” a tweet reads.

Sir ask for more trains in peak time n frequent no of trains from byappanahalli to Whitefield n further at 8-11am n 4-8 pm as metro is connected from city to byappanahalli so no of ppl can benefit from dis n ask to elevate d crossing so traffic problem s won’t Der

— Yogesh cv (@yogescv) June 7, 2019

Another person opined that the Suburban Rail project held importance as buses and metro connectivity in the city alone would not live up to citizen requirements in Bengaluru. “Bangalore #SubUrbanRail Projected urgently needed as @BMTC_BENGALURU & BMRCL alone won’t be able meet requirments of Bangalore Citizens,” a user tweeted.

Bangalore #SubUrbanRail Projected urgently needed as @BMTC_BENGALURU & BMRCL alone won’t be able meet requirments of Bangalore Citizens

— Shobha Nambisan (@ShobhaNambisan) June 7, 2019

Reacting to the same, P.C. Mohan told indianexpress.com that the meetings held on Wednesday at Delhi were positive. “The union ministers expressing their consent in implementing Bengaluru Suburban rail project is a good sign,” he says, adding that he has emphasised on the scope of the city to house suburban rail for an effective mass transportation system.

“It will nor only reduce the city traffic by providing quality service for the passengers, but also will cut down use of private vehicles by individuals. RITES (Rail India Technical and Economic Service) Report says Suburban Rail will cater for more than 35 lakh passengers every day, reducing the traffic congestion by nearly 25%,” the letter he handed over to Piyush Goyal mentions.

Further, the letter also touches upon various citizen concerns on the completion of the project. “Reports of Railway Board advise to K-Ride (Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company) to restructure the project proposal and revise the detailed project report is worrying the citizens of Bengaluru as they fear the Suburban project will be further delays,” reads the letter.

With the MP’s intervention into the matter, rail users and citizens in Bengaluru are now hopeful of seeing Suburban trains ply in and around the city soon.

Bangalore suburban railway project should be priority: Suresh Angadi

Reviewing the status of Bangalore sub-urban railway, a joint project of Government of Karnataka and Government of India, Minister of State of Railways Suresh C. Angadi instructed top officials that the project should be taken on priority and expeditiously.

The minister also reviewed the progress of Hubbali – Ankola railway line and further directed tailway authorities to liaise with the Karnataka state government to expedite
forest and other clearances to ensure completion of work in a time-bound manner.