Designs for swanky airport railway station pour in

To come up on Yelahanka-Chikkaballapur line; could cost Rs 1.5 crore 
Designs for swanky airport railway station pour in

BENGALURU:  Air passengers and thousands of employees of Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), desperate for rail connectivity to the airport, have something to cheer about. Airport authorities have submitted designs to create a suburban railway station between Yelahanka and Devanahalli stations. 

The designs were submitted by the airport operator, Bangalore International Airport Limited, on September 3, said a senior railway official of Bangalore Division. “The engineering section of Bangalore Railway Division is examining it thoroughly. Once we finalise it, we will send the proposal to our headquarters in Hubballi to okay a new halt station here. The name of the station will be finalised later,” the official said.

The station will come up on the Yelahanka-Chikkaballapur Line. A letter from then in-charge Divisional Railway Manager BG Mallya had on June 17 given ‘in principle’ approval to BIAL to go ahead with the construction of a halt station and platforms near the airport, said another official. “We had asked BIAL to submit a detailed plan, structural drawing, proposal and execution details for the station,” another official said. 

Express gained exclusive access to the designs. “The building will come up on 151 sqm of land. It will have a waiting hall, ticketing area, toilets for men, women and the physically challenged, a ramp and ticket vending area. The front portion will be surrounded by greenery,” an official explained. A rough estimate of the design submitted reveals that it could cost around Rs 1.5 crore. “The airport operator has agreed to bear the entire cost. But it will be manned by Railways which will also collect the ticketing revenue,” he said. 

BIAL Managing Director Hari Marar told TNIE, “We are committed to building the station, but have no more specific details at this stage.”Expressing his relief over the progress, transport expert Sanjeev Dyamannavar said, “This is a decade-long demand of many railway users. It is heartening to note some progress has been made.”

Related Stories

No stories found.
The New Indian Express
www.newindianexpress.com