Bangalore :One lakh people travel from suburban areas travel every day to Bangalore to earn their livelihood. This requires better rail connectivity. The  Railway Minister D.V. Sadananda Gowda obliged, announcing that suburban trains will soon connect Tumkur, Ramanagaram, Nelamangala and Hosur to the city.

Of the one lakh daily suburban commuters, 80 per cent are those who travel every day on Bangalore–Marikuppam, Bangalore–Tumkur and Bangalore–Channapatna routes. At present, commuters are taking various trains, including passenger, push-pull, DEMU and MEMU trains to travel to Bangalore from nearby towns.

However the announcement is not so simple to implement. Clearance required from the Railway Board to allow its infrastructure to be used to run suburban trains. In addition, more clarity is required on whether the State or the Centre will fund the suburban rail project. Anil Agarwal, Divisional Railway Manager, Bangalore, said: “The Railway Board has to clear it and that is the main bottleneck.”

Officials are in the dark about the issue but they said meetings would be held and the project would be “put on the fast track” as Mr. Gowda had said that action be taken immediately.