Electrification between Bagalkot-Vijaypura to be completed in a month

Steps to cut down Bengalururu-Vijaypura train commuting time to 10 hours: MB Patil

Bengaluru, March 16: Infrastructure Development Minister M B Patil said on Friday that it is very much essential to decrease the train commute duration from the state capital to Vijayapura and Bagalkot and concerned railway authorities have been convinced to take necessary measures to make it a reality. If the current train travel time to these cities should be reduced to 10 from the current commuting time of about 14 hours, it will facilitate people from north-west Karnataka, he asserted.

He was speaking after chairing a meeting with the Infrastructure Development Department and South Western Railway officials at Khanija Bhawan. The meeting discussed the status of nine cost-sharing railway projects which need to be speeded up.

Minister stated that the 660 KM train travel between Bengaluru and Vijayapura currently takes about 14 hours. Trains departing from Bengaluru now go to Hubballi station where they stop for 45 minutes to change engines. Likewise, time is wasted in Gadag too. Hence, arrangements should be made for trains to run via the Hubballi (South) station bypass and Gadag bypass, he opined.

There is already a double track between Bengaluru-Hubballi-Bagalkot. The double track project between Bagalkote and Vijaypura is nearing completion up to Alamatty and will be completed by coming September. The pending work in 9 km between Alamati and Vandal will be taken up once the bridge work is completed on the stretch.
Saying, this will be completed by August 2025. he informed that the pending electrification of this route will be completed in two months.

In addition to these measures, special trains need to be run from Bengaluru to Vijayapura, and Bagalkot, Patil said. Once the electrification work is completed, the Railway Board will be requested to start the Vande Bharat Express train service to Vijayapura and Bagalkot, he emphasised.

Deadline set for nine cost-sharing projects

A total of nine railway projects are in progress in the state on cost cost-sharing basis with railways. However, these projects are exceeding the cost limit as the works are not completed within the stipulated time. Taking a serious note of the escalation in project costs, officials have been directed to quicken the works, Patil told

Among these projects, the Munirabad-Mehbub Nagar project should be completed by March 2026, the Tumkuru-Raydurga project by December 2027, Chikkamagaluru-Beluru by 2026, and Bagalkote-Kudachi by 2027. The land acquisition process for the Tumkuru-Davangere project has been completed, he explained.
Welcoming the Railway Department’s decision to lay the double track between Vijayapura and Bagalkot, he said It should be completed by 2027.

The minister said that the District Commissioner has been instructed to resolve the the land acquisition in Halakatte, which is on the Gadag-Wadi route.

Dr N Manjula, Infrastructure Development Department Secretary, Ram Gopal, Chief Administrative Officer, South Western Railway and Murthy Raju, Chief Engineer of Railway Planning Division were present in the meeting.

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