If all goes according to plan, Bengaluru will probably become the first city in the country to get a modern suburban rail system. The proposed suburban stations will have a different look and feel than traditional railway stations. In fact, they may have a better design and aesthetics than existing Metro stations in the city.

The long-awaited 148-km dedicated city-suburban rail project, with four corridors, will have advanced facilities to Namma Metro and is likely to be operational by 2026.

Sources said 53 air-conditioned suburban trains with automated double-leaf sliding doors will be deployed in the first phase. Automated fare collection (AFC) gates at stations will enable smart card-based cashless travel for suburban rail users. “All suburban trains will be air-conditioned. In addition to sliding doors in trains, we also thinking of platform screen doors at stations to prevent overcrowding and accidents,” said Amit Garg, managing director at Karnataka Rail Infrastructure Development Enterprises (K- RIDE), an SPV that is implementing the project.