Minister of State (MoS) for Railways V Somanna Friday stated that a decision on whether the central government should take over the execution of Bengaluru Suburban Railway Project (BSRP) will be made in the next 25 days. His statement has come at a time when the project has almost come to a grinding halt after Larsen and Toubro (L&T) pulled out of the contract, citing a lack of land infrastructure.
Speaking to reporters, Somanna said, “In the next 15-25 days, we will have a meeting along with Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw and senior officials of the state government on the status of BSRP. We will decide whether the central government should take over the project or continue in a joint venture with the state government. In this regard, I will also write a letter to the chief secretary of Karnataka and CM Siddaramaiah.”
The 148-km project suffered a major setback this month, when L&T, the contractor for Corridor 2 (Chikkabanavara to Benniganahalli) and Corridor 4 (Heelalige to Rajankuntem), terminated its contracts. However, Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development (K-RIDE), the implementing agency, objected to the move, citing that the contracts were valid until September and October 2026, respectively, and did not permit unilateral withdrawal.
The K-RIDE accused L&T of violating agreement conditions and pointed out that the company had made unreasonable demands, such as mid-project price revisions and a shift from the agreed Engineering, Procurement, and Construction (EPC) model to an itemised Bill of Quantities (BOQ) structure. These, according to K-RIDE, were not permitted under the signed agreement.
Bengaluru Central MP P C Mohan said on X, “Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project has seen only 22% progress since 2020. L&T exited Corridors 2 & 4 after just 8.28% land handover in 2 years, escalating costs from Rs 1,498 Cr to Rs 7,000 Cr. Suggested that the State Govt must hand over the project to Railways for timely completion.”
Meanwhile, Somanna reviewed ongoing Road Over Bridge/ Road Under Bridge (ROB/RUB) projects and urged Central and state departments to work in close coordination to avoid delays. He stressed the need to complete projects quickly in the interest of easing traffic congestion and ensuring commuter convenience. Somanna also directed the authorities to form a committee under the chairmanship of Tushar Giri Nath, Secretary, Urban Development Department, to bring agencies such as Bruhat Bengaluru Mahanagara Palike (BBMP), Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA), Bengaluru Water Supply and Sewerage Board (BWSSB) under one roof to work together to construct ROBs/RUBs.
Speaking to the media, Somanna highlighted that 75 ROBs/RUBs have been built in the last 10 years (2014-2025), of which 56 were fully funded by the Railways at a cost of Rs 142 crore, 16 were executed under cost-sharing with the state government, and three by the NHAI. Plans are also in place to replace 39 more level crossings around Bengaluru with ROBs/RUBs. The Bengaluru city police have identified highly congested railway gates, and 13 projects have already been sanctioned and are in progress, officials confirmed.