Karnataka blamed for railway miseries

 In case of suburban train services, a proposal has still to be cleared by the office of the chief minister. The railway board’s approval can only be sought once the state government clears it. There is also a dearth of land for the project. The feasibility of the proposed project will be examined after the budget - KH Muniyappa

We agree, now what?

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I guess our CM should let the IR does what they can do to provide extra trains for passenger services . In the meanwhile push for full fledged solutions for Commuter Rail.Why waste time now? Service from YPR ->Anekalor Devanahalli to Anekal would be a breather to the heavy rush. Cargo line at BIAL can rewarding for the IR. Let them start the project. We can further push for stops every 2 km.

Regards,

Naveen

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This reads a good example for how to kill a thought by talking sweet!

Pilots are much needed to demonstrate..and they are also come cheap..so a well planned  pilots will sure make a  big difference!

Was travelling from Tumkur yest and took the tolled road into Blr..it was such a relief driving in and out of Blr using these roads..but what concerned me was that there was already a lot of traffic on this new road..and its  a matter of months that traffic on these roads too will get slow!

So a commuter rail is the only long term viable solution for Tumkur and surrounding places!

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I guess our CM should let the IR does what they can do to provide extra trains for passenger services

I would prefer if they approached it as a total solution with a reliable & predictable timetable and accompanying accessibility infrastructure. This 1 or 2 trains here and there will cause problems in rolling it up organizationally later on and will come with existing inadequate last mile connectivity with other stakeholders not participating in the effort. Total solution requires Govt to show committment to the effort. 

BTW our CM has not said or done anything in this regard let alone agree to anything. No formal request apparently has gone from the CM's office to the Railways despite the chief secretary promising to take this up with the railway board last year itself

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Now its clear, GOK or Yeddi / Reddi does not want this project for Bangalore to solve the Traffic problem. They want to do the road widening & HSRL to make killing money in the process.

Inspite of so many discussion with GoK & SWR,  as Chief Secretary  was suppose to write letter to Railway Board to take up the Commuter Rail Project for Bangalore & its Suburbs , this was in Sept'2010. 

When  Chief Secretary  has made above commitment during Sept'2010,  that means he would have had clearance from CM.  Why the proposal iis still held up at CM??

What happened to BJP menifesto for BBMP election in March'2010, has CM or BJP so much insane to their own promises.  Also why did he make Rs500 crore allocation in Karnataka State Budget in 2010 for Local Trains for Bangalore.

When nearly 100 acer of land both  together Binny Mill Land and NGEF can really makes difference for Commuter Rail, why GoK is not ready to hand oper the required land thru this and get commitment from IR???

If you look at these, GoK / Yeddi & Reddi r firm in getting first HSRL & then make the killing so that they can claim that Commuter Rail is not feasible.

Even for YH-1,  GoK has not paid the money & they pretend to co-operate with IR for improvement of Rail facility in Karnataka. 

It looks to me,  Shimoga & Bellary mey get Local Trains ahead of Capital city Bangalore, we should not be surprised of this if it happens &  even state may be ready to share 100% cost & land  for these cities . 

Why r the 6 / 7 elected MPs from Bangalore & its Suburbs keeping quite from all three party BJP, Congress & JDS on the commuter rail???  Why Muniyyappa  himself not requesting CM to send proposal at the earliest, instead he is saying after Rail budget he will look into this, same lines he sang last year during this same period.

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Sanjeev, IDS, Naveen,

I fully understand your anguish and frustration with GOK. I can clearly see that you are being forced to go in circles. Let me bare some facts which was revealed to me recently from sources. That's reason I have given the above title "Competing agendas, Forces and circumstances". I am stating this with at most responsibility and personal authority.

We are up against the mighty, powerful and most importantly the key decision makers. Even after 6 months since the first formal event at CiSTUP, we are struggling to get a simple appointment with CM, which tells the sordid story of how decision making works here. It is not that the NR team is not pursuing any efforts in that direction. I can personally vouch for the tireless efforts that the NR team has put so far to reach out the various political leaders, MPs, MLAs, officials etc. Since August 2010, it is a relentless struggle to get to the right people. It is no less than multi-miilion dollar project of a private enterprise.

Competing Agendas

I don't have to elaborate on competing agendas here. For some reasons CRS is being considered and projected as a competing service to Metro, HSRL etc, wheres in reality it is NOT.

CRS is not in competition with Metro, HSRL, BMTC, KSRTC or even the private service operations. It is rather an wonderful low cost complimentary service to each of the listed service. But due to various reasons it is being looked and projected as a competing service.

Competing Forces

Even those public representatives specially who are ruling and supporting them, who in private fully endorses the CRS project, but officially for political and their own personal reasons are not willing to take that extra step to push the GOK to give its nod. These are very well educated and more intellectual than most of us here on Praja. Even an educated minister in GOK refuses to lend that extra help citing ministerial jurisdictions. That speaks volume about the ministerial fiefdoms and turfs that they need to protect. That smack of all the claim of 'Public Service' that they are doing and all for 'Public Benefits' only. The Officials and Bureaucrats in our country are subservient to the political class, therefore unless there is political blessings they can hardly do anything.

A journalistic source has revealed to me that transport lobby which has interests both in leasing buses to BMTC and as well as running moffasil services to the towns in CRS plan, are also in play to thwart this project. I wish this is not true. But in our setup, one can not rule out these possibilities.

Competing Circumstances

Even the current circumstances seems to lined up against CRS. Different parties rule at Center and State. This looks real, but looking at HSRL approvals, even this can be overcome if the GOK/State has the will. Indian Railway finances are in doldrums and perfect excuse for center to not to consider this. So ball is thrown into state court. Current prevailing political circumstances in state are much more against than any of the above. Due to various groupings in the ruling and opposition dispensations, it is hard to reach out to those who has the authority to put the 'Approval' seal.

Therefore, one can only hope against hope.

-Syed

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The State government has been delaying allotment of land for the circular rail project in the City, Union Minister of State for Railways K H Muniyappa has said.

The project will be taken up on priority. But the state government has not responded to the Railway’s plea seeking allotment of land for the project,” the minister said here on Sunday. He was speaking to reporters after inaugurating the remodelled Whitefield Railway Station.

Muniyappa said there needs to be better co-ordination among the BBMP, the State government and the Railways to upgrade more stations. The Whitefield station has been remodelled at a cost of Rs 85.40 lakh. South Western Railway Divisional Manager Sudhanshu Mani said at least 5,000 people travel from the station every day

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/135787/allotment-land-delayed-circular-rail.html

It looks  GoK & IR / SWR are not working to gether unless either MoS or CM has some interest, then only things  r moving.

Any one has  idea of how many BMTC buses r playing thru' or  start from  Whitefiled station with more then 5000 people using the station.

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 transport lobby which has interests both in leasing buses to BMTC and as well as running moffasil services to the towns in CRS plan, are also in play to thwart this project. 

If indeed there is a bus transport lobby, this would mean Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai & Hyderabad which have commuter rail as do the many many cities across the world must have collapsed the entire bus transport industry. Fat chance. This way the entire railway system is a threat to the bus industry. Are they asking for the railways to stop its services to Chennai, Hyderabad other metros & towns in Karnataka? If govt cant deal with lobbies like this they can forget about sustainable transportation & transit oriented development, blah blah. All the conferences they go to is a waste of time on tax payers money. 

Given a choice any lobby like the 2G one or the petrol/kerosene one will want to have the cake, eat it & have enough to paste it on their posteriors. Balance needs to be struck by the govt. I am sure they are not expecting 100% modal share for bus transport! it doesnt happen anywhere in the world. I will repeat, there is enough population to go around for all modes of transport in the next 30, 50, 100 years. I dont see why they are getting worked up over 1,2 & 5 year gains

So what happens after people get off at our terminal stations they dont dissappear into thin air do they? The CRS terminal stations arent the end of the world, there are towns & cities that need to be connected beyond. Dont the bus operators have an opportunity there? That is how the network will reach the hinterland. Otherwise poverty elimination will remain in text books & WB dole outs.

BTW, I am wondering how come this comparision is not applied to HSRL which will cannibalize the BMTC Vayu Vajra service and the metro which will take away share from BMTC? Double standards? It is the responsibility of the govt to prevent lobbies from screwing up the future of the city else our elected reps are no better than petty businessmen striking deals instead of setting a course for our future as leaders

Quoting BMRC MD Sivasailam who said famously at one of our meets "Where there is a will there is a railway, where there is no will there is a survey" and I must add - tennis ball matches on the issue

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 Deccan herald is reporting today (page4A, column 1) that CM has written to MoR on Commuter Rail, a copy of the letter has been distributed to the press. As a followup a Joint House Committee on railways headed by council chairman DH Shankaramurthy will meet MoR to request expediting the project. 

Update - here is the link for that piece of news

http://www.deccanherald.com/content/136693/house-panel-meet-minister-railway.html

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First of all, must say thank you to DNA and Hindu for raising the awreness on suburban railway issue and needs of Bangalore.

These guys, netas or babus (hyping up GoK vs Railways, BMTC vs Metro vs HSRL vs Commuter Rail) don't need to be any smarter to realize that everyone is going to win here. It is shameful if they still don't.

• Whether its legal, good or bad reality, real estate funds political parties, we all know that. Commuter Rail will create more and new "managed" real estate, and in constituencies of all three big local parties (north side, east side, sout side of city)
• With Bangalore metro region expected to touch 1 crore people (already, or real soon?), getting 20-30% of them to use CRS from sub urban area till city edges (Outer Ring Road), and then BMTC or Metro as they do today is going to bring customers to everone.

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On operation of commuter rail on the existing railway track, South Western Railway's Bangalore Divisional Railway Manager Sudhanshu Mani said Bangalore City and Yeshwanthpur Stations were oversaturated by long-distance trains. Hardly is there any space to accommodate commuter rails, he said.

Source: The Hindu

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transport lobby which has interests both in leasing buses to BMTC and as well as running moffasil services to the towns in CRS plan, are also in play to thwart this project.

Leasing of buses by BMTC has never come for discussion in Praja if I remember correctly. If this is true all the discussions about BMTC privatization etc. becomes invalid! Then we can actually blame the problems of BMTC on private interests rather than asking for privatization. One more question would be if BMTC is leasing buses then why are they leasing out again (if contracting is included).

Also the bus operators running buses to Kolar, Yelahanka etc. would not be happy with CRS.

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IDS,

The words seems verbatim from the report.

"..."In a recent letter to Banerjee, Chief Minister B S Yeddyurappa has stated that the objective of the commuter rail system is to disperse the habitation from densely-populated central city areas to destinations outside like Anekal, Malur, Devanahalli, Tumkur and Bidadi.

“The commuter rail system will be integrated into other Mass Rapid Transport System like Metro, Mono Rail, High Speed Rail System, Bus Rapid Transport System and would help in bringing people to the central business district in one hour”, Yeddyurappa stated in the letter, copies of which were released to the press on Thursday..."

Seems at last seeing light at the end of the tunnel!

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 Leasing of buses by BMTC has never come for discussion in Praja if I remember correctly. 

Intresting you picked on this. The assets column in BMTC P&L should look pretty lightweight then, no depreciation accounted for this etc. opex for the buses also should be consequently low, or are they maintaining the buses for the high & mighty using taxpayer money and not owning them? 

Is anybody auditing BMTC?

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To facilitate  operation of commuter rail on the existing railway track along  Bangalore City and Yeshwanthpur Stations the long-distance trains on this line can be terminated at  Yeshwanthpur.  Commuter rail will act as connectivity to these  long-distance trains passengers  to other parts of Bangalore.  "Where there is a WILL there is a way".

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Tender worth 5 crore has been called for Yelahanka - Channasandra doubling

http://www.tenders.gov.in/innerpage.asp?choice=tc5&tid=karn371826&work=1

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 Delegation to visit Delhi demanding circular train for Bangalore

It is a long-pending proposal from the state government that we want the railway minister Mamata Banerjee to sanction in the budget. The project needs an allocation of Rs500 crore and will go a long way in de-congesting traffic, Ananth Kumar said

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All MP's of Bangalore and its surrounding should unit and demand the Commuter Rail with Railway Minister without looking at which  party theybelong.

It looks  like some news papers are wrongly quoting Circula Rail instead of Commuter Rail.  As  the letters  correspondens between GoK & Indian Railways clearly talks of Commuter Rail.

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 Bangalore City and Yeshwanthpur Stations were oversaturated by long-distance trains.

Atleast they have gone from claiming "ALL TRACKS around Bangalore" are full to "ONLY 2 STATIONS" are full. That is definitely a progess in "truth" we have ensured after months of fact presentation. Solutions are more feasible when obfuscation is broken down. 

In case nobody has noticed yet, our proposal does not use Bangalore city at all (except for the ramanagaram line) and Yeswantpur can easily be accomodated by putting a new platform slightly offset towards the ring road side or even double decked at metro level over platform 6. In fact over the short term YPR can be completely bypassed towards Lottegollahalli/Hebbal till that platform comes up, lest it hold up start of commuter rail ops. Lottegolahalli is served (@ kuvempu circle) by 276 towards majestic with swastik metro connection & Hebbal is served by K2 towards chord road with soap factory metro connection. Both services have very good frequency

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@ Jenny & Pranav

Any one has participated from Praja on the BCIC Urban Infrastructure and Connectivity to Bangalore

Its as usual same song played by SWR.  Bangalore division is stands very low on comparrision of  efficiency &  facility with other zones.  It does not have any EMU rakes &  few DEMU rakes owns.  During last  few years,  they have not added any tracks or platforms either at Yesvntpur or Biyyappanahalli station, even though they have surplus land at these places,  but keep on crying about land at City Station.  Tracks within Bangalore city limits are still single & no serious efforts r made by SWR on this.  This is only big city station  not having any escalators even after sanction. 

I request  SWR sing better song next time.

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Trains r operating at frequency of 3minutes in mumbai tracks; it may be still more frequent in other developed countries. SWR shud know what needs to be done to improve frequency instead of being complecent. Improved signalling & availability of platforms cud be the main constraints; but railways shud think  what needs to be done & ask for such facilities. It may be worthwhile to mention Heathrow recieves and despatches a flt every minute orso by using technology

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@ravichander,

Coming Railway budget is only few days away. With only 7 days to go, there is not much can be done at this stage as the lobbying for Railway budget is done by Dec/Jan.

Campaign for CRS is going to continue and there is lot to do.  If you read recent blogs on CRS, you will notice Sanjeev/IDS/Naveen has been working relentlessly on this.

Do join the team and help with what ever you can.

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Zonal Rail Users' Consultative Coordination Committees of Southern and South Western Railways, Prakash Mandoth, said there was need for new train services that include superfast train from Bangalore to Mumbai; daily train to Shirdi or Aurangabad; trains to Jammu, Varanasi, Amritsar, Dehradun and Indore; daily service to Belgaum; Garib Rath to Solapur to cater to the Hyderabad Karnataka people; direct train to Karwar; Hubli–Hyderabad service; Hubli–Bangalore circular train service via Londa, Madgaon, Karwar, Mangalore, Hassan, Bangalore and Hubli, and commuter rail service for Bangalore.

Cortesy - http://www.hindu.com/2011/02/17/stories/2011021757930400.htm

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DNA has covered Commuter Rail in more detail here

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Its good to see that ZRUCC have taken up the issue with SWR for Commuter Rail for Bangalore.

Our MP's should ensure that this Commuter Rail gets sanction in the Railway Budget 

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It is nice to know that ZRUCC has taken up Commuter Rail innitiative with SWR and also DNA has covered this need in more detail. Can we discuss and come out with ways to put up this need stronger targetting the coming Railway Budget.

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Copy of letter written by Janardhan Reddy to all MP's of Karnataka requesting to put pressure on Center for sanctioning Commuter Rail

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Now its high time our MoS K H Muniyyapps should get the project approval in this budget for Commuter rail without blaming others like state.  Their will be many issues further commuter rail, they will be addressed in DPR & subsequent.  He should take bold decision and  his officers are their to resolve the differences  between state & IR. 

Lets see how this letter makes impact on all MP's.

Sanjeev  

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