Bengaluru's missed opportunity? 1960s circular railway plan goes viral, sparks debate

The map, titled ‘Diagram of the Plan for the New Railway Junction and Ring Railway in Bengaluru,’ covered key areas of the city.

A vintage map from 1960s showing the proposed Bengaluru Circular Railway line, which ‘never’ materialised, is going viral on social media.

A well-known weather blogger shared the map on X. (X/ @Bnglrweatherman)

A well-known weather blogger shared the map on X, saying, "Had they gone ahead with this plan, our city wouldn't be facing the traffic bottlenecks we see today. What a greatmiss."

The map, titled ‘Diagram of the Plan for the New Railway Junction and Ring Railway in Bengaluru,’ covered key areas of the city, including Koramangala, Jayanagar, Rajajinagar, Mysore Road, Ulsoor, and more.

Check out the map here:

The viral map has garnered over 18,500 views, along with more than 300 likes and shares, sparking mixed reactions from users.

How did the X users react?

The reactions to the 1960s map of Bengaluru's proposed railway project have been a mix of frustration and disbelief. Some users have pointed out the lack of political will behind such infrastructure projects, with one comment stating, "Simple mathematics! Railway projects hardly give kickbacks to ruling party MLAs, so nobody prefers this! Instead, flyovers and highways bring in fortune!"

Others expressed regret over the missed opportunity, with one user noting, "Jayanagar and Banashankari had a station. If this plan was realized, it would have been the best of all! Metro would have been out of the window."

There were also strong criticisms of the government's past decisions, with one user blaming both central and state administrations for "bungling up everything" and labeling the leaders as "useless folks."

Some questioned the delay in developing such projects, asking, "When they were constructing Metro in Delhi in 2000, what stopped the Karnataka government from doing it in Bengaluru then? We are at least 20 years late."

287-km circular rail network

The idea of a circular railway around Bengaluru has resurfaced after being proposed again in 2023. A new 287-kilometre circular railway is set to be built around the city, connecting major nearby towns. According to Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, this will be the largest such network in India. The project aims to alleviate traffic congestion and improve connectivity in the region, addressing the long-standing challenges of Bengaluru's urban transport system.