After many delays, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will lay the foundation stone for the much-awaited Bengaluru Suburban Rail project on June 20.

“Narendra Modi would lay the foundation stone for the Rs 15,000 crore Bengaluru Suburban Rail project on June 20. It is a major step in realising the long pending dream of Bengalureans,” said Karnataka Chief Minister Basavaraj Bommai Monday.

The project envisions to connect Bengaluru with its suburbs through a rail-based rapid-transit system that has been a dream of the state governments since 1983. The highly awaited project is anticipated to be completed by 2026 at an estimated cost of Rs 15,767 crore, and has often been dubbed “India’s most integrated rail project”.

The Rail Infrastructure Development Company, Karnataka, (K-RIDE) a joint venture of the government of Karnataka and the Ministry of Railways has the responsibility of conceptualising and implementing the rail project.

The Bengaluru Suburban Rail Project (BSRP) project was proposed first by an expert team from the then Southern Railway in 1983 and was estimated to be run across 58 km. The proposal was submitted as part of Karnataka’s first Transportation Survey commissioned by the then chief minister R Gundu Rao.