Title - Karnataka plans 'bullet trains' to provide high-speed connectivity

BANGALORE: The state government is mulling to operate 'bullet trains' with the aim to offer high-speed connectivity between its state capital and Mysore, Belgaum and Gulbarga in the northern region.State Industry Minister Murgesh Nirani said, “We are in discussion with Japanese experts who have built and operate bullet trains in their country, especially between Tokyo and Osaka, to provide high-speed rail connectivity between Bangalore and Mysore (150 km), Bangalore and Belgaum (610 km) and Bangalore and Gulbarga (585 km). We are commissioning the Japanese International Cooperation Agency (JICA) to prepare a detailed project report (DPR) for the ambitious project, which will require dedicated tracks, exclusive coaches and high-power connectivity to operate high-speed trains for reducing travel time between inter-cities by more than 50-60 percent.”According to the basic infrastructure development in Karnataka, consisting road, rail and airport connectivity, the administration has developed a pro-active policy that will help lure investments from the private bodies in the infrastructure sector and it will operate on the public-private partnership (PPP) model.Moreover, the state administration will be approaching Centre and the Indian Railways for collaborating in the project with financial aid from global agencies like the World Bank.