Rly. Ministry’s intervention sought for expediting new terminal project for Mysuru

First phase entails laying 4 platform lines, 4 stabling lines; cost around ₹496.29 crore

August 05, 2021 06:59 pm | Updated 06:59 pm IST - Mysuru

A slew of railway projects germane to Mysuru region are hanging fire owing to the pandemic and lack of funds and hence the Railway Ministry has been urged to expedite the works.

This includes the green field railway terminal at Naganahalli which is envisaged for completion by 2024 but is now unlikely given its current status and the pace of works. As a result the envisaged benefits of track doubling and electrification between Mysuru and Bengaluru are yet to materialise fully due to capacity constraints of the Mysuru station.

Hence Mysuru MP Pratap Simha recently met the Minister for Railways Ashwini Vaishnaw and sought his intervention for expediting the completion of the Naganahalli railway terminal at Mysuru and the new railway line upto Kushalnagar.

He said the Railway Board had taken a long-term view of the projected passenger traffic and its growth in the region and had announced the construction of a new coaching terminal at Naganahalli, on the outskirts of Mysuru.

The capital expenditure of the project was pegged at ₹789 crore and the Engineering and Traffic survey has been completed by the authorities. The first phase of the project entails laying 4 platform lines and 4 stabling lines apart from the station building and maintenance facilities all of which is projected to cost around ₹496.29 crore.

Mr. Simha explained to the Railway Minister that the local elected representatives have held elaborate consultations with the farmers of the region who have been assured fair compensation for land acquisition.

It has also transpired that the Infrastructure Development Department of the State government has not responded to the request of bearing the cost of land acquisition at the rate of ₹1.25 crore per acre. The railways require at least 165 acres to get the works started but lack of clarity on the project was hindering its progress.

However, another reason for the project to have been grounded is the delay in approving the Detailed Project Report submitted by the South Western Railways. Hence Mr.Simha has urged Mr.Vaishnaw to pay personal attention to the project and help expedite it by clearing the DPR so as to facilitate the land acquisition process.

Incidentally, the Railway Board has included the Naganahalli terminal under priority project and has sanctioned ₹19.99 crore for the financial year 2021-22. But the authorities were also expecting a substantial grant to be announced by the State government in the Budget tabled in March but no allocation was specifically announced for the project.

Mysuru-Kushalnagar railway line

The attention of the Railway Minister was also drawn to the long pending project linking Mysuru with Kushalnagar as part of bringing Kodagu on the railway map of India. Mr. Simha pointed out that though the preliminary engineering and traffic survey has long been completed, the project has not made any headway and sought for its early implementation.

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