Bengaluru: Indian Railways moves to fast-track suburban rail project with MD appointment call

In a significant move to revive the long-delayed Suburban Rail project in Bengaluru, Indian Railways has issued a call for applications to appoint a full-time Managing Director (MD) for Rail Infrastructure Development Company (Karnataka) Limited (K-Ride). The advertisement marks a renewed push to speed up project execution, which has seen sluggish progress since its foundation was laid in June 2022.

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The MD position will be for a three-year term, with the last date for applications set as July 5, 2025. This indicates that the new appointment may only be finalized by September, leaving limited time to meet the October 2025 deadline initially promised at the project’s launch.

K-Ride has lacked a full-time MD since 2021, when Amit Garg last held the role. Since then, senior IAS officers have been managing the post in an additional capacity, contributing to the project's delays.

Eligibility criteria specify a maximum age of 55 as of March 31, 2025, with applicants required to have at least 25 years of experience, including five in a senior administrative role and five in railway infrastructure projects.

Urban planners and civic groups have expressed concern over the slow pace, citing worsening traffic in Bengaluru. Only 10% of work on the four rail corridors and two track doubling projects has been completed. Experts also urge extending corridors to surrounding towns to ease commuter movement and stimulate regional development.