Bengaluru, May 17 -- Union Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw, during the flag-off ceremony of the new SMVT Bengaluru - Lokmanya Tilak Terminus Bi-Weekly Express on Sunday, said that Bengaluru requires practical, rail-based mass transit systems to solve its congestion and mobility challenges, and not tunnel-based road projects.

Speaking during the ceremony, he stated that "Bengaluru needs very realistic and practical rail-based solutions which can provide the extra capacity needed for moving people and cargo in the city, and not impractical solutions like digging tunnels."

Bengaluru South MP Tejasvi Surya, who has consistently raised technical and environmental concerns regarding the proposed tunnel road project, welcomed the Minister's ...