The Regional Rapid Train Service (RRTS) is on the cusp of transforming the rail travel landscape, promising a revolutionary experience for passengers. 'Namo Bharat,' the newest addition to India's rapidly expanding high-speed train network, is poised to replicate the success of the Vande Bharat. In a groundbreaking trial run in December 2023, the state-of-the-art semi-high-speed train service successfully covered the route from Duhai to Modi Nagar in Uttar Pradesh, demonstrating its advanced features and immense potential. Ashwini Vaishnaw, the Union Railways Minister, recently announced that the Bengaluru-Mysuru and Bengaluru-Tumakaru railway routes will introduce Namo Bharat Rapid Rail services, as they fall within the "ideal" 150-200 km distance.
Vaishnaw mentioned that the large-scale production of the trains will start soon after the two rapid rail trains – from New Delhi to Meerut and from Ahmedabad to Bhuj – have been running for a year. He made this statement while speaking to the media at the Bengaluru Cantonment railway station after conducting a window trailing inspection of the railway line between the Kempegowda International Airport railway station halt and the Bengaluru Cantonment station, along with the Minister of State for Railways V. Somanna. "I request Somanna to work with the Airports Authority and try to take the railway line as close as possible to the airport. Then, we will do the railway line doubling from the airport up to Yelahanka so that a lot of capacity will be created," Vaishnaw said.
In addition to the metro line and the suburban railway project, Bengaluru commuters travelling to and from the city will have three transportation options to the airport. This will involve realigning the railway line from the Cantonment station to bring it closer to the airport's departure gate. The Amrit Bharat train, launched in January this year, is also performing very well, with over 100% occupancy on all trips, mentioned Vaishnaw. "Now, we are going to start large-scale production of Amrit Bharat trains. Whatever we have learnt from the first two trains, we are going to implement in Amrit Bharat version 2.0," he said.
The minster emphasised that the new projects offer a promising solution to the escalating traffic in Karnataka’s capital. The Namo Bharat trains are being produced at Bengaluru’s Bharat Earth Movers Limited (BEML). These trains are anticipated to reduce travel time and enhance connectivity between the suburbs and the city.
The minister also assessed the ongoing redevelopment efforts at the Cantonment station, including creating an area of 18,000 square meters and constructing underground parking to accommodate 250 two-wheelers and cars each. Additionally, he examined the quadrupling of the Bengaluru-Krishnarajapuram-Whitefield railway line. Vaishnaw mentioned that the circular rail's detailed project report (DPR) will be finalised by the end of December.