Title - Karnataka bullet train plan put on fast track

Close on the heels of the proposed bullet train between Thiruvananthapuram and Mangalore by the Southern Railway, chief minister DV Sadananda Gowda has assured that the state’s first inter-city bullet train will run between Mysore and Bangalore.

The proposal will be ready in less than three months and sent to the Union urban development ministry, he added. Briefing presspersons on Friday at the helipad on his arrival at the city, Gowda said “I have met union urban development minister Kamal Nath, who was enthusiastic about the plan and wanted the proposal be sent to him in three months.

The technical details were being already worked out and the Mysore-Bangalore railway corridor was stable to take high speed railway traffic. The bullet train will lessen the travel time between the two cities by more than half,” he said.

“The train will improve not just the commutation speed, but boost tourism and urban development. However, many things have to be worked out, like the technical feasibility, funding, availability of land and other aspects. The Bangalore Metro Rail Corporation Ltd (BMRCL) has been asked to prepare a feasibility report,” he said.

Gowda also said that “efforts were on to make Mysore the best tier II city in the state. Road connectivity to the city from Bangalore, Hassan and Mangalore was also being improved into four-lane highways. This will boost the chances of industrial and commercial interests of the city. I have already campaigned for the industrial growth of the state in Delhi and Mumbai, inviting entrepreneurs there to set up units in Mysore.”

The chief minister asserted that, contrary to what some say, the city was not short of power, water and land for industrial development. “In times to come we will show to the world that Karnataka is the best industrial investment destination in the country,” Gowda said.