Bengaluru’s first suburban Railway Project to miss August 2025 deadline? Here’s what we know

Bengaluru's first Suburban Rail Project is likely to face delays and is likely to miss its August 2025 deadline. Karnataka Large and Medium Industries Minister M B Patil at a review meeting held on Tuesday expressed his displeasure regarding the slow progress of the rail project.

The BSRP is being built for ₹15,767 crore. As per reports, the first phase of 7 km from Yeswantpur to Chikkabanavara was to be operational by August 2025.

During the review meeting, Patil expressed his dissatisfaction with the progress made by L&T, the contractor responsible for executing Corridor-2 of the project, which stretches from Byappanahalli to Chikkabanavara. During the review meeting, Patil highlighted that only 28 per cent of the physical work while 22 per cent of the financial progress has been made so far. The minister questioned the likelihood of finishing the stretch on time given the current slow pace of work.

Expressing his doubts, the minister said, “We have promised the public that the first train operation will start by August 2025. However, given the current pace of work, this seems doubtful," as quoted by The New Indian Express.

"At this rate, it is impossible to complete the project within the stipulated time," as quoted by The New Indian Express. However, the minister has issued a stern warning regarding the Suburban Rail Project, stating that the completion deadline will not be extended under any circumstances, as reported by the daily.

Earlier in February 2024, the minister had said that all Bengaluru Suburban Rail Projects would be completed by December 2027. “All Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project corridors will be finished by December 2027. K-RIDE has been directed not to delay the work related to this project, and we will be able to deliver it on time,” the minister had said as quoted by news agency PTI.

Meanwhile, on Tuesday, Minister M B Patil conducted a review meeting with officials from South Western Railway to discuss several railway projects being implemented through cost-sharing arrangements with the central government, as reported by PTI. According to officials, the discussion covered various issues, including land acquisition challenges that are delaying multiple projects such as Gadag-Wadi, Dharwad-Belagavi, Tumkuru-Davanagere, and Tumkuru-Rayadurga, it reported. The meeting emphasized the need to identify and take the necessary actions to accelerate the progress of these projects.

(With inputs from PTI)