**Executive Summary**
This document is an answer from the Minister of Railways to a parliamentary question regarding the Belagavi-Kittur-Dharwad new railway line project in Karnataka, due to be answered on February 11, 2026. It provides an update on the project status, including delays due to land acquisition and information on budget allocations and recently completed projects in Karnataka. The document does not specify any deadlines or action items but highlights factors affecting project completion.
**Key Points / Main Content**
* **Belagavi-Kittur-Dharwad Railway Line Project:**
* The Dharwad – Belgaum (Belagavi) via Kittur new line project (73 km) has been sanctioned on a 50:50 cost-sharing basis with land to be provided free by the Government of Karnataka (GoK).
* The project is currently held up due to delays in land acquisition by the State Government of Karnataka.
* **Budget Allocation for Karnataka:**
* Budget allocation in recent years for infrastructure projects and safety works in Karnataka has increased significantly.
* The outlay for 2025-26 is ₹7,564 crore, which is more than nine times the allocation for 2009-14 (₹835 crore/year).
* **Sanctioned Projects in Karnataka:**
* As of April 1, 2025, 25 projects (15 new lines, 10 doubling) of 3,264 km length, costing ₹42,517 crore falling fully/partly in Karnataka are sanctioned.
* The total length commissioned up to March 2025 is 1,394 km, with an expenditure of ₹21,310 crore.
* **Recently Completed Projects:**
* Several projects, including the Kottur-Harihar new line, Hassan-Bangalore new line, and Bidar-Gulbarga new line, have been recently completed.
* **Projects in Progress:**
* Several projects are in progress, including the Hospet-Hubli-Londa-Vasco-de-Gama doubling, Hotgi-Gadag doubling, and Gadag - Wadi new line.
* **Delayed Projects:**
* Major projects are delayed due to land acquisition issues, including the Shimoga – Rannebennur new line and the Belgaum – Dharwad new line.
* As of the report date, 37% of the land required for projects in Karnataka (3,357 ha) had yet to be acquired.
* **Factors Affecting Project Sanction & Completion**
* Anticipated traffic projections and remunerativeness
* First and last mile connectivity
* Connection of missing links and providing additional route
* Augmentation of congested/saturated lines
* Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public representatives
* Railway's own operational requirements
* Socio-economic considerations
* Overall availability of funds
* Land acquisition by State Government
* Forest clearance
* Shifting of infringing utilities
* Statutory clearances from various authorities
* Geological and topographical conditions of area
* Law and order situation in the area of project site
* Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.
**Impact Analysis**
**Stakeholder: Government of Karnataka (GoK)**
* **Impact:**
* Required to provide land free of cost for the Belagavi-Kittur-Dharwad railway project.
* Responsible for speeding up land acquisition to avoid further project delays.
* Responsible for providing support to the Government of India to ensure the success of the projects.
* **Action Required:**
* Expedite land acquisition processes for the Belagavi-Kittur-Dharwad project and other railway projects.
**Stakeholder: Ministry of Railways (Government of India)**
* **Impact:**
* Responsible for the successful execution of railway projects in Karnataka.
* The completion of the Belagavi-Kittur-Dharwad project is dependent on the GoK's support.
* The success of railway projects will depend on anticipation of all factors.
* **Action Required:**
* Continue to monitor and push for land acquisition progress.
* Address and mitigate other factors delaying project completion.
**Stakeholder: General Public in Karnataka**
* **Impact:**
* Will benefit from improved railway infrastructure and connectivity upon project completion.
* Delays in projects will prolong the realization of these benefits.
* **Action Required:**
* None explicitly stated, but potentially advocating for timely project completion.
Key Entities Referenced
Ministry of Railways: The primary governing body concerning the questions raised in the document.
Belagavi-Kittur-Dharwar new Railway Line Formation project: The main subject of the parliamentary question regarding its current status and possible delays.
Karnataka: The state where these railway projects are being developed and where land acquisition is a major issue.
GOVERNMENT OF INDIA
MINISTRY OF RAILWAYS
LOK SABHA
UNSTARRED QUESTION NO. 1954
TO BE ANSWERED ON 11.02.2026
NEW RAILWAY LINE BETWEEN BELAGAVI-KITTUR-DHARWAR (KARNATAKA)
1954. SHRI JAGADISH SHETTAR:
Will the Minister of RAILWAYS be pleased to state:
(a) the current status of the sanctioned new Belagavi-Kittur-Dharwar new
Railway Line Formation project;
(b) the timeline of the completion of proposed line; and
(c) whether delay in implementation of the said project has led to an
increase in the estimated cost of the Project and if so, the details
thereof?
ANSWER
MINISTER OF RAILWAYS, INFORMATION & BROADCASTING AND
ELECTRONICS & INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY
(SHRI ASHWINI VAISHNAW)
(a) to (c): Dharwad – Belgaum (Belagavi) via Kittur new line project (73 km)
has been sanctioned on 50:50 cost sharing basis and land to be provided
free of cost by Government of Karnataka (GoK).
The project is held up on account of delay in land acquisition by State
Government of Karnataka.
Karnataka
Budget allocation in the recent years has increased significantly. Budget
allocation for infrastructure projects and safety works, falling fully/partly in
the State of Karnataka is as under:
...2/-
§-2-
Period Outlay
2009-14 ₹835 crore/year
2025-26 ₹7,564 crore (more than 9 times)
As on 01.04.2025, 25 projects (15 new lines, 10 doubling) of 3,264 km
length, costing ₹ 42,517 crore falling fully/partly in Karnataka are
sanctioned. The summary is as under:-
Category No of sanctioned Total Length Exp
Projects Length Commissioned upto Mar'25
(in km) Upto Mar'25 (km) (₹ in cr.)
New Line 15 2,034 421 8,794
Doubling/ 1,230 973 12,516
10
Multitracking
Total 25 3,264 1,394 21,310
Details of some of the recently completed projects falling fully/partly in
Karnataka are as under :
S. Project Cost
No (₹in Crores)
1 Kottur-Harihar new line (65 km) 468
2 Hassan-Bangalore new line (167 km) 1,290
3 Bidar-Gulbarga new line (110 km) 1,543
4 Shivani-Hosadurga Road doubling (10
50
km)
5 Shivani-Birur Doubling (29 km) 143
6 Hosadurga-Chikjajur doubling (29 km) 260
7 Ramanagram-Mysore patch doubling
998
(94 km)
8 Yelahanka – Chennasadra doubling
108
(13 km)
...3/--3-
9 Yeshwantpur-Yelahanka doubling (12
95
km)
10 Netrawati-Mangalore Central
28
doubling (2 km)
11 Kankanadi-Panambur doubling (19 350
km)
12 Arsikere-Tumkur doubling (96 km) 758
13 Yelahanka-Penukonda doubling (123 1,104
km)
14 Daund-Gulbarga doubling (225 km) 3,182
15 Hubli-Chikjajur doubling (190 km) 1,850
Some of the projects falling fully/partly in Karnataka which have been taken
up are as under:
Cost
S
Project (₹ in
No.
Crores)
1 Hospet-Hubli-Londa-Vasco-de-Gama 4,153
doubling (312 km)
2 Hotgi-Gadag doubling (284 km) 2,459
3 Ginigera - Raichur new line (165 km) 3,401
4 Gadag - Wadi new line (257 km) 2,842
5 Bagalkot – Kudachi new line (142 km) 1,649
6 Tumkur – Rayadurga new line (207 km) 2,496
7 Tumkur – Davangere new line (182 km) 2,142
8 Kadur – Chikmagalur – Belur new line (68 825
km)
9 Baiyyapanahalli – Hosur doubling (48 km) 336
10 Yeshwanthpur – Channasandra doubling (22 314
km)
...4/--4-
in last three years 2022-23, 2023-24, 2024-25 and current financial year
2025-26, 65 surveys (25 new line and 40 doubling) covering a total length of
7,240 km has been sanctioned falling fully/partly in the State of Karnataka.
Details of some major projects which are delayed due to land acquisition
are as under:-
Total Land Balance
Land acquired Land to
S
Project required (in ha) be
No.
(in ha) acquired
(in ha)
1 Shimoga – Rannebennur new line
559 226 333
(96 km)
2 Belgaum – Dharwad new line (73
581 0 581
km)
3 Shimoga – Harihar new line (79
488 0 488
km)
4 Whitefield-Kolar new line (53 km) 337 0 337
5 Hassan-Belur new line (32 km) 206 0 206
Summary of the status of land acquisition in Karnataka is as under:-
Total Land required for Projects in 9,064 ha
Karnataka
Land Acquired 5,707 ha (63%)
Balance Land to be acquired 3,357 ha (37%)
Government of India is geared up to execute projects, however success
depends upon the support of Government of Karnataka.
Sanction of any railway project depends upon many parameters/factors
which include the following:
...5/--5-
Anticipated traffic projections and remunerativeness of the
proposed route
First and last mile connectivity provided by the project
Connection of missing links and providing additional route
Augmentation of congested/saturated lines
Demands raised by State Governments/Central Ministries/Public
representatives
Railway’s own operational requirements
Socio-economic considerations
Overall availability of funds
Completion of Railway project/s depends on various factors which include
the following:
Land acquisition by State Government
Forest clearance
Shifting of infringing utilities
Statutory clearances from various authorities
Geological and topographical conditions of area
Law and order situation in the area of project site
Number of working months in a year for particular project site etc.
All these factors affect the completion time and cost of the project/s.
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