An Integrated Transport Authority should be formed for Bengaluru, with the Railways and all stakeholders such as Metro as members, to solve the problem of commuting in Bengaluru, said Minister for Railways Suresh Prabhu.
He was speaking here on Thursday at a programme to inaugurate four trains: Yeshwantpur-Katra (flagged off from Bengaluru City Station), Patna-Bengaluru, Kamakhya-Bengaluru (all three weekly premium express trains) and the Tatanagar-Yeshwantpur weekly express (in Patna, Kamakhya and Tatanagar and flagged off remotely from Bengaluru).
Mr. Prabhu said since a feasibility study on suburban rail had already been done by RITES Ltd., the next step was for the State government and the MPs to work towards creating an integrated transport system.
He said, “What the city needs is a multimodal transport system so that a commuter travels seamlessly (from one to another).”
An integrated approach was essential to resolve the problem the city’s commuters face in suburban areas, with people travelling over 40 km to their workplaces and returning home in the evening. At the same meeting, P.C. Mohan, MP, Bengaluru Central, urging Mr. Prabhu to implement suburban trains in the city, said he would give Rs. 1 crore to build a station and platform at the Whitefield halt and Rs.10 lakh for installing benches at the Bengaluru City Railway Station.