Bengaluru: Imagine a huge area where residential, office, retail and entertainment spaces happily co-exist around major transit corridors. Bengaluru, which is never short on infrastructure woes, is set to welcome its first transit-oriented development (TOD) near Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) in Devanahalli. This is part of the Bengaluru-Hyderabad high-speed rail corridor.The TOD model promises to ease — if not fully erase — image-hurting commuting bottlenecks. It’s an integrated plan that promotes compact, high-density and mixed-use development centred around mass transit systems and reduces dependence on private vehicles.The proposed development will integrate air and rail connectivity with other modes of transport, positioning Devanahalli as a multimodal hub. For the project, 80 hectares of land is proposed to be acquired.A senior official of the infrastructure development department said the state govt will facilitate land acquisition for the project. There will not be any overlap between the international airport and the proposed TOD. DPR, once ready, will bring more clarity, he added.National High Speed Rail Corporation is executing the 607-km high-speed rail corridor project between Bengaluru and Hyderabad with 15 stations. RITES is preparing the final location survey and the DPR. Of the proposed corridor, 101km is in Karnataka. Three high-speed rail stations are planned in the state: At Alipura in Chikkaballapur district; at Devanahalli and Kodihalli, both in Bengaluru Rural district.As per preliminary planning, the elevated corridor will run over National Highway 44 near Chikkasanne and pass via Bettakote Lake. The station is proposed on the northern side of the airport — nearly 2km from KIA, 9.5 km from railway station and 7.9 km from bus stand.Sources said RITES has held multiple discussions with Bangalore International Airport and govt officials on the proposed alignment. The state govt has appointed the additional secretary (railways) of the infrastructure development department as the nodal agency.The state cabinet had given in-principle approval for two corridors — Hyderabad-Bengaluru and Bengaluru-Chennai. The state govt has approved land acquisition of around 1,757 hectares for the two centrally funded projects, with nearly 77% of the land earmarked for the Chennai-Bengaluru corridor. The initial stretch within Karnataka will cover about 100km from Kolar through Kodihalli, Whitefield and Byappanahalli. Around 90% of this section will be elevated, while the remaining will be underground, including stations at Whitefield and Byappanahalli. The Hyderabad-Bengaluru corridor runs via three districts of Karnataka. According to preliminary plans, after Hindupur, the corridor runs 6km in Tumakuru district and 24km in Chikkaballapur district. A major portion — 70km — will pass through Bengaluru Rural district. Transit-oriented development is proposed at Alipura, for which additional 80 hectares of land will be required.The finance department has directed that all administrative costs related to land acquisition and shifting of state utilities be fully reimbursed by the implementing agency.“We welcome the two high speed rail links connecting Bengaluru with Chennai and Hyderabad, but we are also hoping that the centre will approve another HSRL connecting Pune with north Karnataka districts,” industries minister M B Patil said.In 2009, then BJP govt proposed a high-speed rail project from MG Road to KIA via Hebbal. The Rs 3,700-crore project was shelved due to land acquisition issues and high cost.KIA, which saw 45 million flyers in the previous financial year, has been operational for 18 years, but no mass transit system links the airport yet. Bangalore Metropolitan Transport Corporation has been providing Vayu Vajra services, but most passengers rely on private transport and taxi.Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation has set a 2027 deadline for commissioning the 58km Blue Line project linking KIA and Silk Board. Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Company has finalised alignment for the Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project, though tenders are yet to be floated.+++++Hoskote to emerge as transit hub with TODHoskote, on the eastern outskirts of the city, is set to emerge as a major transit hub as it will connect both Bengaluru–Hyderabad and Bengaluru–Chennai high-speed rail corridors. Similar to Devanahalli, Kodihalli in Hoskote is expected to develop as a transit-oriented hub.The Bengaluru–Chennai High-Speed Rail corridor will have eight stations, of which four — at Kolar, Kodihalli, Whitefield and Byappanahalli — will be located within Karnataka. Of the total 306 km stretch, around 106 km will pass through Kolar, Bengaluru Rural and Bengaluru Urban districts.The corridor will require about 1,358 hectares of land, along with an additional 80 hectares each for developing TOD zones at Kodihalli and Kolar stations. Underground stations are planned at Byappanahalli and Whitefield. At Byappanahalli, the high-speed rail station will be integrated with the suburban rail and metro rail network.+++++ GFXBengaluru – Hyderabad High Speed Rail Corridor Total length – 607 km Number of stations – 15 Length of corridor falling in Karnataka – 101 km Number of stations in Karnataka – 3 via Tumakuru, Chikkaballapur and Bengaluru Rural districts Station locations Alipura in Chikkaballapur district Devanahalli and Kodihalli in Bengaluru Rural district. Design Speed – 350 kmph Operational speed – 320 kmph Land requirement for the project within the limits of Karnataka DistrictStationsLength (km)Area in hectaresTumakuru–610.5ChikkaballapurAlipura24.162.9Bengaluru RuralDevanahalli and Kodihalli70.6164.1Total101.1237.5Transit-oriented development (TOD) planned at Alipura and Devanahalli stations for which 80 hectares of land required. Forest land required for the project – 5 hectares National High Speed Rail Corporation Ltd (NHSRCL) will implement the project. RITES is preparing final location survey and DPR for the project Existing connectivity and timing KSR Bengaluru-Hazrat Nizamuddin Rajdhani Express – 11 hours Vande Bharat Express – from Kacheguda to Yeshwanthpur – 8.15 hours Air travel: 1.20 hour plusBus: 9 to 9.30 hoursBullet train: 2 hours 8 minutesProposed HSR stations Hyderabad Shamsabad Bharat City Mannanur Kurnool Dhone Gooty Anantapur Duddebanda Hindupur Alipura Devanahalli Kodihalli MSID:: 130804681 413 |
